Steal Away With Me
by Eruanna17
Summary: They called her the Scavenger, for her ability to pluck jewels out of junkyards, scrap piles, and minuscule collections. There were a thousand rumors about her. She was trained by the greatest thief in the world. She could rewire security systems with a wave of her hand. But most impressive of all was that she had never been caught. Kylo Ren was determined to change that.
1. Meeting in the Dark

They called her the Scavenger, for her ability to pluck jewels (sometimes literally) out of junkyards, scrap piles, and miniscule collections where the owners often didn't know the true value of their items.

There were a thousand and one rumors about her. She was trained by the greatest thief in the world. She studied under ninjas in Japan. She could rewire security systems with a wave of her hand.

In the last few years, she's upped her game, stealing from museums and millionaires, selling a few pieces and returning stolen artifacts to the families and countries they were taken from, which earned her both internet fame and international attention. The week she stole a Gustav Klimt from the Krennic family, she jumped onto Interpol's most wanted list, got a personal FBI task force, and her file landed loudly on Kylo Ren's desk.

As IYS's best insurance investigator, his job was to find and recover art stolen from their clients before IYS had to pay the claim. If he was successful, he saved the company millions of dollars and earned himself a handsome commission. If he failed… well, Snoke had made it very clear that failure was not an option.

"Good luck catching a ghost," Hux taunted as he walked out of Kylo's office.

"At least Snoke knows I have a better chance than you," he responded, and was rewarded with Hux's face turning a bright, angry red.

The man sputtered a bit, then marched away, knocking an intern's pile of cases onto the floor with stream of insults at everyone's general incompetency.

Kylo's amusement faded as he opened the unhelpfully thin file. There were copies of possibly connected cases, some grainy security video snapshots of black blurs, and virtually no personal information. Apparently it wasn't even confirmed that the Scavenger was a woman.

Letting out an annoyed huff, he pulled up to his computer and began searching through archived cases with an emphasis in security circumvention going back five years, something that the idiots who put together the file should have done before they handed it to him.

Taking a sip of his coffee, he muttered, "Have to do everything myself."

…

"Rey, please, you have to do something for yourself." Finn told her as he pulled up a chair at their favorite restaurant. "Look, I know this whole Robin Hood thing is doing great things for your rep, but you have to sell something so you can buy _me_ brunch once in a while."

Rey, who was already three bites into her pancake, waved nonchalantly at him. "Yeah, yeah."

"I mean it, Rey. What's the point of stealing a six million dollar painting if you're just going to give it away and go hungry?"

"The Krennics stole that painting from Holocaust victims! You want me to steal from Holocaust victims?"

"Of course not, but can you steal something that I can fence for you so you can at least afford to eat for a while?"

Rey rolled her eyes. "Fine. Find me something expensive that wasn't stolen from a dispossessed nation or family, and I'll think about it."

"Whatcha talkin' about?" Poe asked as he spun a chair around and stole a slice of Finn's bacon.

"Finn wants me to steal something he can sell." Rey answered around her bagel.

"That _we_ can sell. So _we_ can have money. And so _I_ don't have to pay for your meals. Hey!" He protested as Poe stole another piece of bacon.

She and Finn had been friends since she was a runaway foster kid, picking pockets to survive on the streets, selling anything she could grab to the pawnshop Finn worked at. Poe joined their unlikely friendship a few years ago when Finn had been tasked with finding the best crew to break in and steal a priceless gold dagger from one of the most impenetrable collections in the world. By that time, Rey was infamous for getting around the toughest security systems, and Poe's wheelman skills were close to legendary.

Stealing the dagger was both challenging and thrilling, and even though her smokescreen hadn't lasted long, Poe had out-maneuvered both the private guards and the local cops in record time, all of them whooping with glee the whole way back.

"He's got a point, sunshine. I have a solid fee for driving, Finn gets a commission, you should make something too."

Sighing heavily, Rey conceded. "Alright, alright. It would be nice to have something saved up."

"Exactly! Let me know if you need a getaway car." Poe told her, then drank the rest of Finn's coffee.

"C'mon man! That latte cost four dollars!"

Poe made a face, then handed back the cup. "You overpaid."

"Well now I did! Go buy me a new one!"

"Can't. I have to… drive somewhere."

"Oh really? Is it to a pool? Because your pants are on fire!"

"That doesn't even make any sense!"

Rey shook her head with a fond smile as she finished Finn's eggs. She had nicked many things in her life, but she wasn't sure she could ever top the fact that she had stolen herself a family.

…

Kylo was half-way through a completely different case when Hux stormed in (not that he ever entered any other way) and slapped a newspaper onto his desk.

"The Scavenger broke into General Canady's personal safe last night!" Hux shouted, pointing dramatically at the headline. "Guess how much was stolen!"

Glancing at the article briefly, Kylo turned back to his computer. "Over a million dollars in gold and jewels."

"Over a million-" He stopped, slightly derailed. "Yes! Everything insured by us! All because you can't find one lone cat burglar!"

Kylo leaned back in his chair. "How do you know it was her?"

Hux tossed him a photo of the safe, partially open with a small note left on top.

 _Your mistress' birthday? Really? Pick a better combination next time._

 _Scavenger_

Biting back an odd impulse to chuckle, Kylo asked, "I assume Mrs. Canady is not to know about this?"

"She's the one who discovered the break-in!"

Shrugging, Kylo continued to type on his keyboard.

"Understandably, the General is taking this quite personally." Hux attempted in a calmer tone. When Kylo ignored him, he stepped closer and hissed, "So is Snoke."

The typing stopped long enough for Kylo to shoot him a dark look.

"He's… _curious_ as to why you haven't come up with anything yet."

"Perhaps because the morons who put together this file were completely incompetent." He retorted, then grabbed a sheet of paper from the printer as Hux flushed angrily. "But despite that, I have come up with a list of commonalities and possible targets."

He crossed off a section with a dramatic flourish before handing it over. Hux snatched it out of his hand, then glared as he noticed 'Canady residence' now had a dark line through it.

"Fine. I will bring this to Snoke, and you better hope-"

Kylo rose to his full height, then plucked the paper from Hux's grasp.

" _I_ will take this to Snoke myself, and _you_ will stay out of my business." He interrupted with a low, dangerous tone, then turned on his heel, leaving Hux fuming behind him.

…

"Pick a better combination next time? Damn girl!" Poe clapped her on the back with a grin. "He's going to need some aloe for that burn!"

"Look, I'm just saying, if he doesn't want to be robbed, make your security secure! He might as well used 'password' as his password."

Finn snorted into his coffee, then added, "Did you hear about her FBI task force?"

Poe looked up, clearly impressed. "You've got your own task force?"

Rey shrugged modestly. "It's just a bunch of probies straight out of Quantico. Gotta give them something to do right? Other people's tax dollars at work!"

"Still! You okay with that amount of attention?"

"All she's gotta do is lay low for a while, and they'll get bored and move on to something else." Finn replied as he added more sugar.

"Or…"

Both Poe and Finn glanced up to see Rey looking a little sheepish.

"Or what?" Finn asked suspiciously.

"Well, they just came out with a new upgrade to the Kirsch security system and no one's beat it yet."

"Uh-huh."

"And there's this great gallery downtown that uses it in their special exhibit room, so I was thinking…"

"Rey, no. You need to lay low long enough for me to sell Canady's stuff one at a time. If you steal something big again, there's going to be even more heat and I won't be able to fence anything!"

"Aw, c'mon! Just one little gallery. No one will even know I'm there! Poe, back me up on this."

Poe shook his head. "Sorry, sunshine, I'm with the naysayer on this one."

"Hey!"

Ignoring Finn's protest, Poe continued, "Part of big scores is big heat, and you need to wait til it cools down." His phone beeped, then he threw a couple of bills on the table. "Alright, I'll see you kids later. The Ace is needed!"

"No one calls you that!" Finn shouted after him.

Sighing, Finn collected his stuff and jabbed a warning finger Rey's direction. "I'm serious, peanut. Lay low. Explore the city. Buy groceries. Normal people stuff."

Rey rolled her eyes, then conceded, "I guess it would be nice to pay Chirrut and Baze back for some of my classes."

"There you go. Pay your bills. Be a tourist. Just don't do anything… big."

"Alright, fine."

"Promise?"

Rey placed her hand over her heart. "Promise. Nothing big."

Satisfied, he nodded and waved as he headed out, missing the smirk that slowly appeared on Rey's face.

After all, she did say it was a _small_ gallery.

…

"You're going _where?"_

His patience already wearing thin, Kylo grit his teeth and repeated, "The D'Qar Gallery."

"That's ridiculous! It's a miniscule collection with nothing matching the Scavenger's MO. She's much more likely to go for a higher profile target, like the Coruscant collection. You'll be wasting men and time on a worthless-"

"Take them. I've never needed an army to do my job, but you apparently do."

Hux scowled. "Snoke wants real leads, actual targets. Not whims and wild goose chases!"

Kylo pulled on his jacket and resisted the urge to strangle the other man. "If anyone's on a wild goose chase, it's you."

As he pushed past Hux on his way to the door, he could hear him shout, "You best not be wrong!"

"I'm not." He growled, stalking out of the office.

Shaking his head at Hux's idiocy, he hailed a cab and made his way towards the D'Qar Gallery. His instincts were telling him that the Scavenger wasn't interested in creating more headlines. She wanted challenges. And with the D'Qar Gallery being one of the beta users for the newest Kirsch systems update, it was the most tempting challenge he could think of.

…

This moment, hanging silently in the air, floating between ground and sky (or rather, polished tile floor and exposed beams, but same difference) was her favorite part. There was a combination of peace and thrill in the seconds before she stole something, the nervous anticipation balanced by pure joy.

Taking a slow, steady breath, she reached out to touch the display case, baring her teeth in a victorious grin as the alarms stayed ignorantly silent. Gently squeezing the plastic explosive onto the glass, she blew the rising smoke away through her ski mask before it could trigger the infared sensors. Just as she completed the circle, she heard distant, measured footsteps slowly coming closer.

She frowned in mid-air, her pulse picking up a bit, trying to think of who it could possibly be, since the single guard on duty still had forty more minutes on his route until he passed by this room again. Perhaps he changed his routine? Maybe it was another burglar? Or the owner coming by for a surprise inspection?

The steps paused at about the right distance of the next gallery's entrance, then continued approaching her direction, and Rey suddenly got a bad feeling about this. Reminding herself that she couldn't be seen from the windows, that whoever it was probably wouldn't actually come in to the exhibition room, she nevertheless willed the explosive to dissolve the display case glass faster.

She listened to the footsteps draw near, then suddenly stop. The silence stretched on long enough that she wondered if she had possibly imagined it. The second before she dismissed it as an echo of the guard's steps across the gallery, the door to the far right suddenly swung open to reveal a dark-haired man who glanced around the room, then looked up, almost on a whim, and locked shocked eyes with Rey; both of them frozen at the improbability of the other being there.

The first thing Rey noticed about this mysterious stranger was that he was tall. Absurdly tall. So tall that she was hanging from the ceiling and it still felt like he was looking down at her. She could barely make out his broad shoulders and narrow features in the shadows, but it was his eyes that caught her gaze. Dark, wild, clearly taken aback, and almost… haunted.

Silence stretched between them, and too late Rey remembered that plastic explosive was past done eating away at the display glass below.

Shattering glass startled both of them out of their paralysis, alarms blaring loudly around them. As the man ran towards her, Rey released the tension on her rig and landed on the floor, bolting as fast as she could towards the window. Unfortunately, the ridiculously long legs that contributed to his absurd height gave him a significant advantage over her, and within seconds he was within arm's length.

He reached out and grabbed her rope, yanking her back towards him. Rey decided to use his strength against him, and let his momentum propel her elbow directly into his nose. Despite his eyes watering and blood running down his face, he hooked one of his arms around her and growled, "Stop moving!"

Rey, who was never one to obey orders, reached for a piece of glass on the floor, then turned in one fluid motion, slicing at his face and wiggling out of his grasp. Her mask slid off as he tried to tighten his grip, and as Rey stumbled back, he snapped up his head and froze.

As they stood, staring at each other face to face for the first time, Rey suddenly felt the world slow around her, his eyes widening as he locked onto her face, how his stance started to shift backwards, the way her breath caught in her lungs at the intensity of his gaze.

Rapidly approaching footsteps finally snapped her out of it, and while the man seemed rooted to the floor, Rey spun on her heel and dove out the window, the loose rope fluttering in the wind until she grabbed the back-up line, flinching at the heat of the rope skidding in her hand.

Once she hit the ground, she had the wild impulse to look up towards the gallery window. There, leaning out with a dark red trail running down his cheek, angry smears under his nose, was the shadow of the man who had come closer to catching her than anyone in her entire thieving career, watching her with an unreadable expression.

Overcome with what she could only later describe as "stupidity borne of pure adrenaline", something possessed her to meet his dark look with a mischievous wink of her own before giving him a sardonic smirk and hightailing it out of there.

And as grateful as she was to be breathing free air, she had a powerful feeling that this was not going to be the last she had seen of her mysterious pursuer.


	2. The Next Move

"One thing!"

Rey sighed and hung her head. "I know."

"I asked you to do one thing!"

"I know."

"Lay low." He gestured wildly, then attempted a high-pitched voice. "' _Of course I'll lay low, Finn. I promise.'_ And what do you do? The exact opposite!"

"I _know!"_

"And what happens? You almost get caught, this giant hulking guy is stalking you now, and I can't fence anything from the Canady job because of all the heat on you!"

Throwing up her hands in surrender, Rey shouted, "I know! Okay? I'm sorry."

"You should be! Do you know what you put me through?!"

Poe, who was leaning his chair on the back two legs, sighed loudly. "Since we've both listened to you whine about it for twenty minutes now, I'm pretty sure she does."

"You stay out of this! For all I know, you put her up to it!" Finn huffed as he walked over to the kitchen and made himself coffee.

Poe glanced at Rey, then dramatically rolled his eyes at Finn, which made her smile a tiny bit.

"Any idea who this guy is?" He asked her, and she shook her head.

"What I can't figure out is how he even knew I was there! I mean, I know he's not guard at the gallery, so was he extra security for the exhibit? But the bronze necklace wasn't even that valuable! Was he there for me? And if so, how did he know I'd be there? I didn't know I'd be there until like three days ago!"

Poe tapped his chin thoughtfully. "What we need is more intel on this guy."

Finn, slightly mollified by Rey's penitence and the coffee, rejoined them. "I might know someone who can help."

…

"Despite your best efforts, she managed to escape?" Snoke repeated softly, his quiet tone carrying far more danger than any of Hux's bellowed threats.

"Sir, she already had an escape route set-"

" _Silence,"_ he hissed, causing Kylo's jaw to tense and Hux to gloat even more in the corner. "Your failure has cost this company _millions_. I've not seen incompetence of this magnitude in years."

Hux stepped forward, ready to shove Kylo under several buses if it meant moving up in his boss' favor. "If I may, sir, in light of my colleague's inadequacies, I have several plans already in place to catch the little-"

"I was at least in the right _building,"_ Kylo spat at Hux, who flushed and glared at the reminder that he had taken a good amount of time and men to secure the untouched Coruscant collection.

"I knew where she was," he continued, watching as Snoke slowly turned back to look at him. "I knew when she would be there, and I came closer to catching her than anyone else." He swallowed, then added, "I can find her again. All I need is time."

Snoke narrowed his eyes, then nodded curtly. "You have it. Do not disappoint me again."

Bowing his head in acceptance, Kylo stepped out of the office, Hux still sniveling behind him.

"Sir, in addition, I do have several theories about her possible next targets-"

"Out."

"Yes, sir, of course, sir. Right away, sir."

Hux closed the door, then rushed to catch up with Kylo. "You dare interrupt Snoke while he-"

"I interrupted _you."_ He told him, lengthening his stride out of pure spite. "Snoke doesn't care about pleasantries, he wants results. Something I have already given him." Pausing in front of his office door, he growled, "And if you ever try to undermine me again, you won't live long enough to regret it."

Slamming the door behind him, he took a few ragged breaths as Snoke's cutting remarks and threatening tone washed over him, then threw his coffee mug into the wall, kicked over his chair, and flipped over his entire desk before storming out and shouting at one of the assistants to clean up the mess they had left in there.

He had told Snoke that all he needed was time.

But after following her trail, learning about her expertise, watching her work...

He hoped he was right.

…

Rey followed Finn curiously into a coffee shop, glancing around at the gathered clientele.

"So, who's this hacker again? And how can hacking get me out of this?"

"Just follow my lead, okay?" Finn whispered to her, then turned with a big smile and wave. "Rose!"

A petite Asian girl waved at them from a table near the back corner. "Finn! Hi! Over here!"

Finn grabbed a chair, then tilted his head at Rey. "This is my friend I told you about."

Rose stood with a look bordering on awe. "Wow. The Scavenger. You really are a girl, and are really… really… gorgeous," she added the last word in an odd tone of despair.

Blinking, Rey attempted a nod. "Thank you?"

"Oh, no, I just mean that you're really good at what you do. Amazing, actually. And you're Finn's friend. And beautiful." She hung her head a little and muttered sadly, "Of course."

As Rey furrowed her brows in confusion, Finn sat down with an oblivious smile. "I know, right? Anyway, we were hoping you could help her out with a bit of a problem."

Plastering on a smile, Rose's fingers hovered above the keyboard. "Sure! What kind of problem?"

"Over six feet tall, dark hair, brown eyes, and almost caught me at the D'Qar gallery the other night." Rey grumbled as she sat.

"Someone caught you?" Rose gasped.

"Almost." Rey corrected, then glared at the sugar packets. "Although it was still far too close for comfort."

Finn leaned forward. "Problem is, we have no idea who he is or why he wants Rey."

"Or if he even found me on purpose. Maybe it was just bad luck." Rey countered, and Finn shot her a look that suggested she was being much too optimistic before addressing Rose again.

"We were hoping you'd be able to grab a shot of his face so we can at least find out who we're dealing with." Finn scooched closer. "Is that something you can do?"

Rey observed with interest as Rose flushed a bit, then cracked her knuckles. "No problemo! You said the D'Qar gallery?"

"Two nights ago. Around one in the morning." Rey told her, then waited as Rose quickly pulled up a window of four different security feeds, then jumped to the night in question.

All three watched the motionless gallery for a few moments, Rey smiling in satisfaction that she had indeed estimated the view of the cameras correctly, only her hand briefly appearing to squeeze the plastic explosive on the main display case. As the tall man rushed into frame, Rose shook her head as he mostly kept his back to the camera.

When Rey slammed her elbow into his nose, the other two turned to her, clearly impressed. "Atta girl!" Finn said, clapping her on the back.

Fortunately, the display case blocked the view of her face once her mask was gone, then she was running out the window with her back to the screen. He rushed to the window, then stalked back inside and was giving orders to the night guard when he walked by, providing Rose with a great shot of his face.

"Alright, let me run this through a few of my databases. Hmm, nothing in the FBI personnel list."

"He didn't fight like a fed." Rey told her, thinking back. "He was more… rash. Violent. Reckless."

Finn shot her a curious look when Rose's laptop beeped victoriously.

"Gotcha!" She shouted, then sat back, blood draining from her face.

"What? Who is he? What's wrong?"

"That's Kylo Ren." Rose whispered, glancing between Rey and her screen.

"Who?"

"He works for IYS as an insurance investigator," Finn informed her, also in a frightened tone.

Rey raised an eyebrow. "So he's a pencil pusher?"

Rose shook her head. "He's a thief-hunter. One of the best."

"Thief-hunter?"

"You know that Berlin Polytech job Colin Mason did two years ago? Kylo Ren caught him in four months. You heard about the Mako pulling off the Van Gogh job in Copenhagen? Six weeks." Finn said, staring at the profile on Rose's laptop.

"I heard that he locked himself in the trunk of a car for five days to catch someone who stole a Matisse IYS insures." Rose told her with wide eyes.

"Bottom line, he's the best."

Narrowing her eyes at the photo of the dark-haired man, giving the camera a forbidding look, Rey clenched her fist.

"So am I."

…

As Kylo Ren spread out the files on his desk, he stared at the list of past targets, then scoured the portfolio of possible next locations, eyes flicking constantly back to the one blurry shot of the Scavenger's face that they had grabbed from the security footage. The vague impression wasn't a help to facial recognition, or to anyone who hadn't seen her, but it brought back every detail of her face in his mind's eye.

He was trying to get himself into the mind of his opponent, to understand her motivations, exploit her flaws, the same way he had done with every criminal he had caught, every priceless piece he had reclaimed. But, infuriatingly, his usual method wasn't working.

Every time he tried to mimic her mindset, predict her next move, he was suddenly back in that gallery, stunned at the sight of her floating in the air like a bewitching, fey creature. Remembering the feel of her shockingly strong frame as she wrestled free of him. The blood trickling down his cheek, her hazel eyes wide with surprise, lips parted as she tried to catch her breath. Leaning out the window, watching her hurtle towards the ground with a careless grace.

Her smile as she glanced up at him, flush with victory, alight with adrenaline.

That damn wink.

Like she had won easily, like she was challenging him to another round.

He let out a guttural growl and swept the files onto the floor.

No one mocked him.

Not even lithe, clever, startlingly beautiful scavengers.

…

"Rey, I'm not so sure about this," Poe told her as he glanced around at the dark alley.

"Oh my God, you're starting to sound like Finn. This is how I relax, okay? It's literally one of the easiest systems to crack. I've rewired the security myself in like ten seconds, so no risk there, plus this isn't something I'd normally go for, so no chance of Kyle whatever-his-name-is showing up either, so just calm down."

Huffing a bit, Poe watched her free climb up two stories, then got in the car and waited, hoping she was right.

Once inside, legs hooked around the support beam, Rey hung upside down and grinned at the alarm system.

"Hello, old friend. I know we haven't seen each other in a while, but I was hoping that we could pick up where we left off. Do you remember when the Smithsonian used you for all their restoration rooms, like five years ago?" She hummed a little as she popped open the faceplate and exposed the wires underneath. "Those were some good times. Too bad Judy Garland had tiny feet, else I would have worn those ruby suckers right-"

Pausing, Rey looked around, trying to figure out why something felt off. Muffled voices floated through the floor from below.

"...really don't understand why you believe Master Foss' collection is a risk right this moment. We have a top of the line security system-"

"That she routinely circumvented five years ago. Either open the door now, or explain to Mr. Foss exactly why you let his collection get robbed." A low, damningly familiar voice threatened.

"Oh come _on!"_ Rey hissed, rapidly replacing the security case. " _Again?_ Can't I get just one night to myself? Is that so hard?"

There was a swipe of plastic, then a click as the lock to the door disengaged. "Just because you're an employee of IYS does not give you unfettered access to-"

"Read the fine print," Kylo Ren interrupted before pushing his way into the dark room. He scanning the paintings, noting no obvious gaps, then looked up at the support beam running the length of the room.

Nothing.

"As you can see, everything is in its proper place. Now, should I call IYS myself, or-"

Kylo held up a finger, then narrowed in on the silent keypad. The two screws holding it in place weren't quite flush with the faceplace, almost as if they had just been hastily-

His gaze swiveled to the window, resting a quarter of an inch above the frame. He rushed forward, shoving the glass up, then looked down, a sudden déjà vu of the other night.

And just like the other night, her dark form was flying towards the ground, only this time without any kind of ropes or harness.

A strange impulse to call out a warning rose in his throat, before he choked it back and watched her tuck into a tight roll as she hit the pavement, effortlessly spinning around before she popped up into a three-point landing. As she got to her feet, she once again glanced up at him with a sly grin, then gave him a sardonic salute.

 _Better luck next time._

As she hopped into her getaway car, he glared at her with all of his impressive fury (setting aside the small part of him that felt almost… intrigued), and promised that the next time they met, things would end very, very differently.


	3. Counterattack

Their next meeting did end differently, but not exactly in Kylo's favor.

In an infuriating countermove to his usual prowess, she had somehow figured out his decision process and was beating him at his own game.

Everytime he showed up at a gallery, a private collection, a public auction, there were small sticky notes that were undeniably meant for him, always left on an unmoved piece of art that he had predicted she would take. Sometimes encouraging, often sarcastic, there was a collectively mocking tone to every single post-it he found.

 _Wow, that was really close! Good effort!_

 _The Raphael? Really? Talk about cliché!_

 _Can you at least try to make this fun?_

 _Why so grumpy? Smile! :)_

Soon, even a glimpse of that trademark neon yellow was enough to send him into a frenzy that sent people scattering in fear before him.

 _He_ was the one who got into the enemy's head. _He_ was the one who played mind games. Thieves were supposed to be paralyzed by the thought that he knew their next move before they made it. Not the other way around.

Grabbing his coat in a sudden motion, he headed for the elevator, ignoring the timid inquiry about his destination from the newest assistant. The ever-changing rotation of assistants, all instructed to inform Hux about his every move, was another hindrance to his process.

He needed air. Needed space to figure out what she was going to do next. Somewhere quiet, where he could think in peace. Where he could think like her.

...

"Okay, so… explain it to me again?" Poe asked, eyebrow raised in confusion.

"It's easy! I figure out my first instinct, then, instead of stealing whatever it was, I write a note, leave it on what I wanted to steal, then go hide in the vents and watch him throw a temper tantrum! It's hilarious!"

"Rey, baiting one of the best thief-catchers in the world is not fun. It's suicide." Finn told her as he sipped his coffee. "One of these days he's going to get there before you, and then you'll be in jail forever."

Poe leaned over and whispered, "Until we break you out."

Rey nodded and winked as Rose giggled from behind her laptop.

"Look, the guy has made some good guesses, but that's all they are. Guesses."

" _Really_ good guesses." Finn pointed out.

"And so," Rey continued, shooting Finn a rebuking look for his interruption, "I'm going to take a few days, lay low, and figure out a new MO."

Rose frowned. "A new MO?"

"Yeah. I just take what I instinctively want to do, then reconsider and go with my new style instead."

Poe tilted his head as he finished his scone. "And if he catches on to your 'new style'?"

"Then I switch back to the old one! Take my first thought, consider my second one, then go back to the first. He'll be completely confused."

"Right. He's the one confused." Finn added, and Rey elbowed him in the side.

Scooting back her chair, Rey stood and announced, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go think of what kind of new MO would be the most fun."

"Good luck!" Rose called out to her with a smile.

Rey waved, then let her grin fade as she left the coffee shop (and Finn suddenly realizing she had put her drink on his tab) behind her. As much as she was trying to pretend she wasn't rattled by how good this Kylo Ren guy was, there was a still a tight knot in her stomach that took her back to her runaway days, terrified that Unkar Plutt and his gang were waiting for her around every corner.

She needed somewhere to breathe, to soak in serenity, to remind herself that there was still beauty and peace in the world. Somewhere she could center herself. Find herself.

Somewhere without thoughts of Kylo Ren.

…

He growled a little as he marched inside the Ahch-To Museum of Art. He hated this place, but (or perhaps because) it was the only place that he was able to think clearly. No one from IYS would ever dream he came here, and since all the art was insured by someone else, he could sit and watch without thoughts of work intruding on him.

He came to watch the people, not look at the art. It was all chemicals on canvas to him, stupid subjective things that someone else declared valuable. No, the only points of interest here were the people. Within seconds, he could tell why someone was here, and predict where they would go next.

For instance, the couple who walked in were clearly on a date. First date, judging by how cautious the girl was and how overeager the boy seemed. Kylo rolled his eyes. The boy was obviously trying to impress her, so he'd most likely head straight towards the flashiest, most famous pieces.

"Did you know that they have Van Gogh's _Sunflowers_ here? Although it pales in comparison to the _Mona Lisa_. Did I mention I saw that at the Louvre in Paris?" The boy asked, placing a terrible faux French accent on 'Louvre' and 'Paris'.

The girl sighed and rolled her eyes. "Yes. You did. At least three times."

"Well, I did."

"Four. Do you know if they have any Gauguin here? He's one of my favorite-"

"Well, actually, Gauguin's style was purely reactionary to the Impressionist movement…"

Their voices trailed off as they walked further away, and he let out an annoyed breath. Looking around the room, he could see a group of art students with their teacher, a clearly blocked artist pacing the hallway and staring pleadingly at the paintings as if to grant him inspiration, a family of tourists, and a brunette simply sitting and looking at the artwork.

He blinked. Most people didn't sit and look. They gawked for a few moments, whispered a pretentious judgement about the piece, then wandered away to a different section to rinse and repeat. But she was just… sitting. He moved closer, then was startled to realize that her eyes were closed. Who on earth sat in an art museum with their eyes closed?

He tried to puzzle it out, just like he did every day with most people. No cane or dog, so she wasn't blind. Perhaps it was for meditation? To calm herself? Although he could tell her that compared to him she had nothing to complain-

He froze as the rest of her face came into view.

It was _her_.

The Scavenger.

Here. In the flesh. Sitting a few feet away from him, blissfully ignorant and alone.

What should he do? Call the police? Of course not, he had no evidence about anything. It was only his word against hers that she was a thief at all. Call IYS? They had a security team, but he found imagining Phasma dragging this girl out to be trapped in IYS until Hux got a confession out of her oddly distasteful.

So what should he do?

Unbeknownst to him, while his brain was conjuring a million and one possible outcomes to every scenario, his feet decided to take advantage of the one scenario he hadn't thought of.

Sitting next to her.

They sat in silence for a few moments, her eyes still closed while he stared straight ahead at the painting, thinking of all the many, many ways this could go horribly wrong.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" A softly accented voice came from his left, and he jerkily turned to see her hazel eyes watching him, a tug of amusement at the corner of her mouth.

"I…" He glanced at the artwork in question. The painting was mostly white with slight suggestions of grey that indicated ridges, with violently bright, jagged lines of red marking the surface.

"... it's fine." He muttered, a small part of him strangely noting this was the first time she had ever spoken to him.

"You don't even care about art, do you?" She asked in a combination of curiosity and mockery.

Opening his mouth to argue, he saw her shake her head and smile in bemused pity.

"Really? You're only in it for the money? That's just sad."

"And you're not?" He barked at her, a bit more harshly than he intended.

She tilted her head. "What do you think?"

Pausing, he tried to come up with a witty retort, but instead became frustrated at how slow his mind was working all of a sudden.

She laughed, a bright, delighted sound that reached no further than his ears. "Well, there's a thought. You don't actually know anything, do you? They were all just clever guesses. You almost had me worried."

And then she winked.

That same damn wink she had thrown him from the ground after escaping his clutches. Twice.

The fury and frustration that had been building since the day her file landed on his desk suddenly exploded, words pouring out of him in a mocking, deadly sneer.

"I know this: Five years ago you worked jobs all over Europe; in Paris, Versailles, Milan, and Munich. You specialize in physically rewiring security systems, and if you don't recognize the system, you steal the system itself to study and one item of value to throw off suspicion. You only crack Glenn-Rieder safes, prefer Impressionists, practice some kind of martial arts, and are definitely a runaway. Want me to keep going?"

…

Shit shit shit shit shit shit _shit._

How the hell did he know all that?

How the hell did he know she was here?

When she caught his reflection in one of the plastic informational plaques, she told herself that she was seeing things, that he couldn't possibly be here, in this building, at this moment. So she closed her eyes and willed him away.

And then he sat next to her.

Heart in her throat, she tried to breathe long, slow, breaths while counting the exits in the room. But when she cracked her eye, she saw that he was sitting awkwardly, as if unsure of what to say. Then it dawned on her.

 _He_ was afraid of _her_.

Confidence suddenly coursing through her veins, she tilted her head coyly and stuffed the small, frightened voice deep down and away, asking him what he thought of the painting.

It was fun teasing him, poking at him as he sat there, holding himself stiffly as a flush crept over his face, giddy with relief that he was no different than any of the other faceless, hopeless police officers trying to catch her.

But now-

Now he knew far more about her than she thought. Than he _should_ know. Than _anyone_ should know.

She did her best to keep her face impassive as the pounding of her heart got even louder and she started reviewing which escape route would be the most efficient.

Poe's voice suddenly echoed in her mind.

 _Nothing is true unless you say it is._

As much as he loved driving getaway cars, Poe was the best grifter she knew. He once landed a multi-million dollar land deal with two glasses of Chianti and very intimate tango, and had insisted on teaching her the basics, despite her complaining that she was a thief, not a con artist.

" _Don't care. Everyone can benefit from knowing the art of the grift."_

 _Her exaggerated eyeroll went unnoticed._

" _First rule of the grift, nothing is true unless you say it is. They think you're conning them? Accuse them of being a thief. Get upset and walk away. Admit to nothing. Put them on the offensive. They won't think you're a grifter if they're trying to prove something to you."_

Letting out a long breath that she desperately hoped sounded calm, she shrugged and leaned back.

"That's a nice collection of random facts you have there," she observed, channelling every ounce of Poe's infuriating smugness. "But that's all it is. Random facts."

" _That_ is what we call a profile." He hissed at her, "and it means I know who you are, what you are, and where you'll go next."

She raised an inquiring eyebrow. "Well, if you know what I am," she blinked slowly at him, "why aren't I being arrested?"

The brief, barely noticable tensing of his jaw made Rey break into a genuine smile. "Oh, I see. You don't have any proof at all, do you?"

His breath started coming loud and angry through his nose.

Tapping her chin in thought, she added, "In fact, I don't think you even know my name."

The way his fists clenched gave her that answer. Time to make _him_ sweat a little.

"Well, that makes one of us." She paused for dramatic tension, then said his name almost offhandedly. "Kylo."

His eyes snapped up and flashed dangerously, reminding her of the photo on Rose's computer, the way Finn paled when his name was said, how very precarious her situation was at this moment.

But, if she was channeling Poe, his next move would be to get the target so blinding mad that he wouldn't be able to think straight.

Standing up, she stretched with a long, fake yawn, all the while painfully aware of the adrenaline pumping through her veins and the rage building in his dark eyes.

"This was fun," she told him, attempting nonchalance. "I'll see you around. _Kylo."_

As she walked backward, mentally tracking the group of German tourists she could hear behind her, she glanced up at him and tossed out one last barb.

"Although, you'll probably be a few steps behind." Shooting him a feral grin as his entire body tensed up, she added, "As always," then gave him a wink.

The instant he lunged forward from the bench, she ducked in the middle of the tour group, then took a sharp left into a narrow hallway that led to the employee's only area. Once behind the door, she tried to calm her breathing and listen for any signs of pursuit. Satisfied that the hallway was empty, she pulled herself up into the air vent and headed for the alley, one thought pounding over and over in her mind.

That was _too kriffing close_.

…

"You did what?!" Finn shrieked in disbelief as Rose gaped.

"I am so proud of you!" Poe shouted and grabbed her in a bear hug. "We'll make a grifter out of you yet!"

"I didn't do anything Finn, and I don't want to be a grifter, Poe. I wasn't even there to steal anything! I just wanted someone quiet to think and he just showed up!"

"Talk about a bad penny." Rose shook her head from behind her laptop.

"My question is, how the hell does he know that much about me? No one knows that much about me!" Rey ran her hands through her hair as she paced through Finn's living room.

Rey had texted everyone for an emergency meeting at Finn's as soon as she was clear, and was desperately trying not to freak out as Rose typed away on her computer.

"I honestly don't know. Your online footprint is still pretty ghost-like, made up mainly of rumors. Whoa, did you seriously boost a Matisse during Carnival a few years ago?"

Shrugging, Rey absentmindedly started picking the lock on Finn's door. "I'm not really big on parties."

"Rey, focus. Could all his intel have one source? Maybe a buyer blabbed, or… have you used a different fence? I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed."

"You know I only go through you or the people you recommend, and his information was… scattered. Like, he knew I was in Europe, and the kind of safes I like, but also that I do martial arts. It was almost…"

The others looked up as Rey trailed off, the door clicking open as she held herself tightly.

"Frightening."

Poe and Finn immediately exchanged glances of worry, then quickly went over to her.

"Whoa, hey, sunshine, like you said, he just has good guesses." Poe told her comfortingly, patting her on the shoulder.

"Exactly. We'll figure this guy out, no worries. We just need a bit more intel. Rose? Can you get into his computer?" Finn asked as he brought Rey a chocolate croissant.

Rose stared at him like he had asked her to hack the moon. "His IYS computer? With Dubertech database security? Maybe if I had six months to prep, I could-"

"What if we get you an in?" Rey interrupted suddenly, a spark of an idea in her eyes.

"A what?"

"If I can plug a… thing into his computer, would that work?"

Rose gave a long-suffering sigh and correct, "You mean if you plugged in a flash drive so I could bypass his firewall entirely and establish a remote link?" She blinked, then thought a moment. "I mean, yeah, that would work, but how are you going to get that close?"

"Well, he knows far too much about me," Rey said, a hint of a smile appearing on her face. "Let's even the odds."


	4. Strikes and Parries

"Help meeeee." Rey whined as she banged her head on the table at the cafe.

"Rey, this was your idea." Finn pointed out unsympathetically, not looking up from his newspaper.

"Please. I'm dying of boredom!"

"Still doesn't sound like my problem."

"I've never tailed anyone so boring in my entire life! All he does is go to work, go to his apartment building, work out in his building's gym, then sleep, then back to work! He is literally the most boring person in the entire world!"

Finn continued to browse the classifieds, unmoved by her plight.

" _And_ there's no way to get into his apartment at all. Facial scanning at the entrance, keyless number locks on every door, you name it, they got it. The building has a better security system than the French National Bank!"

He raised an eyebrow at her as she shrugged and amended, "Okay, bad example. But still!"

"No way to do a button cam? Or drop a bug in his bag or something?"

"Nothing. He guards that bag with his life, and you should have seen the way he interrogated the last person who bumped into him. He lit into her like she was stealing the coat off his back - and she was 80 years old!"

She downed the rest of her latte, then banged her head on the table again. "So now I've wasted two weeks of my life for nothing. Can't even get in the door of the ground floor."

Finn paused, then folded up his newspaper. "What about the roof?"

"The roof?" Rey squinted at him.

"Yeah. If you can't go from the bottom up, why not try the top down?"

Frowning, Rey starting turning the problem over in her mind. "I mean, security is usually much weaker at the roof access, but I'm pretty sure someone would notice me scaling the side of the building. If there was a better angle, maybe I could…"

She looked up, eyes alight with an epiphany. "The apartment building!"

Tilting his head in confusion, Finn clarified, "The building you just said you couldn't climb?"

"No! The one next door! I guarantee you that they have cheaper places and an easier security system, living in the shadow of that metal monstrosity."

Standing up, Rey dropped a kiss on Finn's head and rushed off, shouting, "You're a genius!"

Finn laughed. "Glad you can finally admit it!"

…

In a fantastic stroke of luck, the apartment building next to Kylo's was currently undergoing a massive renovation, so sneaking up the stairwell to the roof was a breeze. All that was left to do was grab her crossbow out of storage, hook up a zip-line, then glide on over; admiring the view and her own brilliance at the same time.

The door into the stairwell only took a minute to disarm, and that brought Rey to her current position, laying on her stomach, head resting on her hands, waiting patiently in the 28th floor's air vent for Kylo Ren to come home from work. Checking her watch one more time, she wondered what was keeping him so late.

A ding from the elevator down the hall, followed by heavy footsteps and dark mutterings heralded his arrival, and Rey watched excitedly as he approached his door. The angle was off and it was too far for her to see the numbers on the lockpad, but she didn't need to.

Closing her eyes, she listened carefully to the sequence of tones as he punched in his code. As he jerked the door open and marched inside, Rey grinned in satisfaction and waited for him to change. Right on schedule, he stalked outside twenty minutes later in workout clothes _(all black, of course. Did the man own anything in color?)_ and headed down to his apartment's gym.

As soon as the elevator started to move, Rey popped open the vent cover and skipped over to 1138's door, humming the lock sequence to herself as she pressed each number. The sound of the bolt unlocking set off a giant smile on Rey's face as she spun inside.

Quickly taking in the minimalistic design of the apartment, she set aside her initial observations _(everything was so shiny! Who knew there was this much black plastic in the world?)_ and searched for the ideal place to plant her bugs. One went under the coffee table positioned between the couch and the tv, and the other she attached to the lip of the kitchen island counter.

Glancing around, she debated whether to add another one, then decided against it. The more there were, the greater the chance he would find one. Now, all she had to do was sit back and wait for her plan to come to fruition.

…

Another week passed, and from her perch in a semi-renovated apartment across the street (two floors up and one balcony over, but it still gave her a great view into Kylo's living room), Rey continued to be bored out of her mind as she tailed him, but this time with surround sound.

She was hours away from giving up the whole thing when an interesting tidbit of information tumbled into her lap. Kylo had (again) stormed home in a dark mood, then left for the gym, leaving his cell phone on the counter.

Rey perked up when it started to ring, using her binoculars to try and peek at the name on the screen to no avail. He hadn't gotten any calls in the whole time she'd been watching him, and it was starting to look like he had no friends at all, so this was a refreshing change of pace.

Kylo stalked in an hour later, made himself a protein shake, then listened to the voicemail (to Rey's great delight) on speakerphone.

" _I hope for your sake that you've come up with something valuable for Snoke in the past 24 hours, you ungrateful cretin,"_ an angry, masculine voice hissed, " _or it will be my great pleasure to inform him about how utterly and pathetically worthless you-"_

Rolling his eyes, Kylo stabbed a button and went back to his protein shake.

" _Message deleted."_ The automated voice responded. " _First skipped message:"_

There was a soft, pained sigh, which oddly made Kylo freeze, then an older woman's voice came over the speaker. " _Ben, it's your mother. I just wanted-"_

Setting down his drink, Kylo ended the call, then gave the phone a long, unreadable look before he swept the phone into his bag and finished his drink, somehow even surlier than before.

Putting down her binoculars, Rey raised a curious eyebrow and grinned widely. "So, your real name is Ben, huh? Well isn't that _fascinating."_

...

Rose shook her head as she leaned back in her seat. "Nothing with his photo plus the name 'Ben'. It's almost like he's been scrubbed from the whole internet. Which, if anyone could do it, it'd be IYS."

Tapping her chin, Rey asked, "Do you have a… reverse aging thing?"

The look Rose gave her was no less than affronted. "A reverse aging thing? What am I, CSI?"

"Basically! You're a computer genius, I figured you could do anything!" Rey said with a bright, flattering smile.

Sighing and biting back a small grin, Rey pulled up a new window on her screen. "Okay, I might, _might_ , have some leeway with my facial recognition to tweak the age, but it'll take time."

"That's okay!" Rey told her, then deflated a bit. "All I have is time."

Figuring she might as well do something useful until Rose finished tweaking her code, Rey headed to her dojo for the first time in weeks, excited to work out some of her nervous energy.

As soon as she stepped through the door, the owner turned his bright blue eyes towards her and greeted loudly, "Rey! So happy to see you! Metaphorically speaking, of course."

Smiling widely, Rey bowed in and called back, "Hello, Chirrut! Baze about?"

"Here, mei-mei." The larger Asian emerged from the supply room to give her a warm side hug, then shouted at his partner, "We all know you can't see! Stop making that joke."

"Humor is a sign of strength of character!" Chirrut responded, then tapped his bo staff twice on the floor, calling the chatting students to attention.

Snap, the oldest student, commanded from the front, "Line up!"

There was a brief shuffle as everyone sorted themselves according to rank, then they followed Snap's lead by bowing first to the front of the dojo, then to Chirrut.

" _Onegaishimasu!"_ Chirrut said, and the chorus of eager voices repeated it back.

"Let us begin by awakening our muscles. Staffs behind the small of your back, hands stretched to hold out either side, and slowly turn back and forth."

There was a small "oof!" as one of the white belts incorrectly guessed how much space he needed between him and the adjoining student.

"We are warming our bodies, not attacking our neighbors," Chirrut rebuked kindly, patting the white belt on the shoulder.

"Sorry, Sensei."

"Overhead rotations! Reach, turn your forearms, then reach to the other side! Older students, work on fluidity and deep lunging. Remember, go slow to go fast," Chirrut told the class as Baze gently corrected some of the students' forms.

They were in the middle of sparring when it happened. Rey was blocking Jessika's strike when a shadow at the window caught her eye. She glanced over and gaped at the tall, looming figure dressed in black, carrying a take-out bag and staring at her like he had seen a ghost.

Rey was brought back to reality with a resounding thwack to her shoulder.

"Oh my God, Rey, I am so sorry! Are you okay? You just dropped your stance and I was already-"

"I'm fine, Jess, really, I just… need to go to the bathroom." Rey managed, then fled as quickly as she could, most of the other students whispering about how Rey never got hit, and what the hell had just happened?

Their confusion increased when a thud of dropped styrofoam boxes hit the pavement and a broad-shouldered man rushed into the dojo.

"That girl! Who is she?"

As the students all stopped and stared, Snap yelled, "Stop standing around! Lunge cuts, now! Deep as you can."

Chirrut paused, then swung around slowly, tapping his staff as if it were a cane on the dojo floor while effortlessly sidestepping the myriad of staffs spinning around him.

"Hello? Who is there?" He called out in what Baze liked to call his 'useless old man voice'.

"That girl who just ran out, brunette, 5' 9", I need to know her name!" Kylo shouted.

Swinging his staff so it 'accidentally' hit him in the leg, Chirrut blinked and gestured to his eyes.

"I'm so sorry, sir, but I am blind. I do not know who you are speaking about."

Grinding his teeth, Kylo pointed accusingly at Baze. "You! Tell me who she is."

Baze looked extra inscrutable, then deadpanned, "I am face-blind."

Growling, Kylo leaned in towards Chirrut, who was still blinking and turning his head as if trying to locate who was speaking.

"You listen to me, old man. I need to know who that girl is right now. She is a thief and a criminal and a menace to society. She's probably only casing the place to rob you, if she hasn't already. Now you tell me everything you know about her, or I'll-"

"Come back with a warrant?" Chirrut interrupted blithely, derailing Kylo's threat. "You see, you are not police, nor FBI, nor anyone else with any legal authority to demand anything."

"So you will leave. Now." Baze added, stepping forward and narrowing his eyes. "We will not ask again."

After glaring at both of them, Kylo growled in frustration and stormed off, slamming the dojo door behind him. The students watched him stomp away, then quickly refocused on their partners at Baze's commanding look.

Once all the students had bowed out and headed home, Snap cleaned the dojo mats and reorganized the equipment, then bid Chirrut and Baze a goodnight.

"How did you know he was not FBI?" Baze asked as he poured two cups of tea.

"Wrong kind of shoes. His squeaked like Oxfords, not combat boots." Chirrut answered, holding out his hand for the tea. After taking a long sip, he let out a satisfied sigh, then placed both hands on top of his staff and called out, "You can come down now, Rey."

There was silence, then a muffled thud as Rey lowered herself from the vent. "Sorry, Chirrut. I didn't mean to bring you guys any trouble."

Baze patted her on the shoulder. "Don't worry about us, mei-mei. But should we be worried about you? He looked… determined."

Rey shook her head. "He's just some self-important insurance guy with an annoying habit of good guesses, that's all."

After giving her a skeptical look, Baze murmured, "Mm-hm."

"Thanks so much guys. Sorry again," Rey said, heading towards the back door.

"Be careful, Rey." Chirrut warned, halting her footsteps. "I sense his heart is full of darkness and turmoil. He hunts to hide his loneliness, and a man with nothing to lose is a dangerous predator."

Rey stared for a moment, then gave him a troubled nod before leaving.

 _Maybe he is dangerous._ She thought as she shouldered her bag.

 _But so am I._

...

Kylo sighed and put down his binoculars, turning up the AC in his car. Nothing. He had staked out the dojo for a week and no sight of her at all.

Throwing the binoculars in the passenger seat with a bit more force than necessary, he turned off the car and went to get some lunch. They were halfway through their karate class, or whatever those old men were teaching, so there was little chance she'd show up now.

Shoving past the other people on the street, glaring at the few who pushed past him, he growled his order to the timid teenager behind the counter and slammed down his payment.

He had gotten nowhere, with no new robberies, no new post-it notes, no new anything to follow her trail. It was as if something else besides tormenting him was taking up her time. Night after night of staring at the same files, he had given up and gone to grab take-out at a new Chinese place.

And then, she was framed by the window as he walked past, as if she was a living advertisement for martial arts and haunting his dreams. He had been searching for any glimpse of her shadow, and Fate had dropped her practically in his lap.

Those worthless old men gave him nothing ( _probably criminals too,_ he thought viciously as he bit into his sandwich and made a face at the overflowing amount of mayonnaise.), so now he was stuck sitting in his car in the hot sun, waiting for her to reappear again. He hated feeling like she was a step ahead somehow. As if he only thought he was lying in wait, when really, she had already-

"Sam's Subs! Nice. Although, they always overdo it on the mayo."

He froze at her voice, then looked up slowly, taking in her long legs, crossed as she sat on the hood of his car, leaning back as if she owned it.

"You look surprised. You didn't see this coming?"

" _You,"_ he snarled, which only caused her to raise an amused eyebrow.

"Still don't know my name, huh? Gosh, that must be frustrating."

She swung her legs back and forth, kicking his car with a hollow thud and causing him to twitch at each impact.

"Get. Off." He growled finally, and with a little shrug, she hopped down and stood on the sidewalk, hands in her pockets as she watched him march past her to try and open his door.

Locked. Of course. And there she was, looking ever more pleased as he made a fool of himself. Should have just had his keys out before-

His keys. He fumbled in his pocket more frantically, only to hear a slight jingle from behind him.

"Looking for these?"

Reminding himself that he was in a public area, he turned on his heel and saw her holding out his keys with a wide grin.

"You should really be more careful with your things," she told him with a mischievous gleam in her hazel eyes. "Never know what could happen to them."

He reached out to grab them at the same time she pulled them away. "Ah ah ah, not so fast. You need to promise me something first."

His expression darkening, he snapped, "You are in no position to ask for any-"

"Leave Chirrut and Baze alone."

Pausing, he canted his head slightly. "Why should I?" He asked, intrigued despite himself.

"They don't have anything to do with my lifestyle. They're not involved in this, and I'd like to keep it that way."

Interesting. He hadn't found anyone she cared about before.

"And what if I don't? What if I haunt every friend you have ever had unless you give me everything you stole - Canady's gold, Krennic's art, all of it?"

Oddly enough, she didn't seem even slightly bothered. In fact, she almost looked bored.

"And the threats begin. First of all, all of the gold, the art, everything, is already gone. If I even took it. Hypothetically, of course. I fenced it before you even knew my name - oh wait."

Grinding his teeth, he took a step forward as she leaned nonchalantly against the wall. "I know you didn't have time to fence anything before I caught you at D'Qar. And again at Foss' house."

"But you technically didn't catch anything, did you?" She asked coyly. "And secondly, if you haunt everyone I know, which to you only means two martial arts teachers, then I'll have no choice but to let everyone in my profession know your name."

Kylo raised an eyebrow. "Everyone in your profession _knows_ my name. I've hunted down more thieves and petty criminals than you'll ever know, and trust me when I say that you're next."

To his absolute shock, she started laughing. "Not that obviously fake alias, _Kylo,"_ she told him, "I mean your real name."

He froze, narrowing his eyes dangerously. "What?"

"You know. The name you've tried to bury. The name that's been nearly wiped from existence, because if anyone knows the power of names, it's you," She leaned forward and whispered mockingly, " _Ben."_

In a furious instant, he had slammed one hand into the wall next to her head and was gripping her shoulder so tightly his hand hurt. "Never say that name. Never."

Her face pale, eyes wide, she nonetheless lifted her chin in defiance as he felt a small prick near his chest. He looked down to see a small, but very, very sharp knife just catching the threads on his shirt.

"I gave you one scar already," she warned him quietly, the tremor in her voice barely noticable. "You won't like where I put the next one."

They stood there for a moment, eyes locked as he stared at her and wondered for the millionth time, _who the hell was she?_

How did she know his name? Why hadn't she told everyone already? Why wasn't she afraid of him?

Releasing his grip on her shoulder, he rested his weight on the hand near her head, fighting off whatever undercurrents were flowing beneath his adrenaline and anger. Trying to ignore how much she intrigued him, and knowing that this moment, where she was glaring at him in challenge, fighting past her fear, her hazel eyes staring through him, her face flushing as they both tried to measure their breaths, would almost certainly haunt his dreams as well.

After a few moments of watching her, and feeling the small point of the knife making her statement very clear, he took a slow step back, studying her as her shoulders relaxed an infinitesimal amount.

"Fine." He said at last as she returned the knife to its hiding place. "I'll leave your old men alone."

"That's all I'm asking."

"But trust me when I say that I don't need them to help me catch you. When you slip up, and you _will,"_ he leaned towards her with a low, menacing, "I'll be there."

The brunette raised an amused eyebrow. "Like all the times you've been ahead of me before?"

He opened his mouth to snarl at her when she tossed his keys in the air.

"Later, Ben!"

By the time he caught them and looked down the alley, she had vanished. Forcing himself to take a deep breath, he unlocked his car and turned it on, pulling out the small cell phone from his pocket and allowing himself a victorious smirk as he stared at the screen.

 _Clone complete_

He sped down the road recklessly, weaving in and out of traffic and ignoring the angry horns around him.

"Let's see who's ahead now."


	5. Tête-à-tête

"Really, no one?" Rey asked, stuffing a pastry in her mouth.

"I told you, Rey. All the Canady stuff is too hot. I keep trying to find someone to laser off the ID numbers on the diamonds, and everyone turns me down because your boyfriend scares them all to death."

"Cowards," she muttered as she sipped her latte.

"No, they're not. They're very reasonable businesspeople who do not want to be hunted down by one of the best thief catchers of our time. And that's honestly one of my goals t-" Finn stopped suddenly as his phone buzzed, then paled at the sight of the screen.

Rey scarfed down another piece of bacon. "What? Who is it?"

Finn bit his lip, then handed her the phone with a grim look. "It's you."

She stared at the number, furrowing her brows in confusion. "Well my phone is right here, so unless someone- _son of a bitch!"_ She grabbed it and hissed, "You cloned my phone?!"

"You sound surprised," Kylo mocked. "You didn't see this coming?"

She was about to rip him a new one when he added in a sly, smirking tone, " _Rey."_

Shit. Shit shit shit shit _shit_.

"It won't do you any good. It's just a burner." She told him, motioning to Finn with a slash to the throat that her number was dead and to let the others know.

"Maybe. Maybe not. So, since you're with F right now, does that stand for 'Fence'? Or perhaps 'Finn Tuwon'?"

Rey winced. _Shit shit shit SHIT._

"Speaking of names, you do know I still have yours, right? _Ben."_ She did her best to not sound rattled.

"Certainly. But see, I'm leaving your little teachers alone, because now I have a whole other selection of acquaintances to track down. So I'm still keeping our agreement. Now, 'R' sounded just so friendly when she answered the phone. How do you know her?"

Gritting her teeth, Rey bit out, "You don't want to do this."

"Oh, on the contrary, I really, really do. Ball's in your court, Rey. Just turn yourself and the paintings in and this will all be over."

"Trust me," she growled, "this is just the beginning."

As she hung up, she slammed the phone down the table, cracking the screen as fear and anger coursed through her veins.

"Rey?" Finn ventured cautiously. "Rey, it's okay. Poe and Rose already tossed their burners, and it's a dumb phone, there's no GPS or anything besides call logs and texts on there. It's not that big of a deal."

"He knows my name, Finn. And yours," she whispered, voice full of furious shame.

Trying to be comforting, Finn argued, "He doesn't have any evidence of anything, and he would have looked at local fences eventually, if he hadn't already. It's fine."

"No. It's not." She stood, glaring at the floor, then pulled out her spare phone. "Rose."

"Rey, oh my God, I am so sorry, I thought it was you but I shouldn't have said your name, and it's my fault-"

"What's the most expensive thing IYS insures in the country?" Rey asked with a deceptive calm.

"Rey," Finn cautioned warily, "let's think about this for a minute."

She looked at him with a frightening smile. "You're right. Let's not be overambitious."

Turning back to the phone, she amended, "The most expensive thing in the state.

"He wants to make this personal? Let's make this personal."

…

Kylo and Hux stood in front of a large, empty spot on Senator Palpatine's wall, both of them staring at the neon post-it in the center of where Jackson Pollack's Number 17A used it to be.

 _You seem surprised. You didn't see this coming?_

 _Thanks for the inspiration B! ;) - The Scavenger_

Hux peered at his colleague suspiciously. "Who is B? I thought she wrote these to mock you."

"No idea," he growled, turning on his heel and stalking back to his car.

…

Rey watched Kylo from her vantage point in the renovated apartments, smirking as he came home late and paced angrily around his place, occasionally flipping over chairs and kicking over his trash can.

"Serves you right for going after my friends, you moody douchebag," Rey told him judiciously, then squinted and zoomed in the gray bag on the couch.

"That's new," she murmured to herself, trying to see what it was.

Her jaw dropped as he righted the chairs and pulled out a shiny silver laptop from the bag. "Oh, you giant, beautiful, dumb ox of a man. You brought your laptop home. Looks like Christmas came early."

She rummaged around for the flash drive that Rose had given her all those months ago, holding it up victoriously and waiting for him to go work out.

Except he didn't. Apparently, Rey's latest stunt took precedence over his muscles, and he sat at his table, spreading out files and staring at his screen until late into the night. Rey was exhausted simply watching him, occasionally checking her watch and growling at him to go to bed already.

She didn't like the idea of breaking into his place while he was asleep, but this was probably the only chance she had to get to his computer. Finally, at 1 am, Kylo rubbed his eyes, closed his laptop, and headed to bed.

Rey waited until 2 am before she climbed up to the zipline and landed on the neighboring roof, then decided to hide in the vent until 2:45, just to be safe. If this was her only shot, she couldn't risk him still being awake.

At 2:58, she crept out of the vent, tiptoed to his door, then entered his passcode, wincing at the sound of the bolt disengaging. She opened the door as quietly as she could, padding over to the slim computer. Squinting in the sudden bright light and making sure she was aiming the screen away from his bedroom door, Rey plugged in the flash drive and hoped Rose's program could still run if the computer was locked.

A progress bar appeared, then started slowly moving forward, decrypting the password and establishing a remote link to download whatever files he had on her. All senses hyper alert, Rey resisted bouncing nervously as the minutes passed, willing the small green bar to fill faster.

At 87%, she heard a sharp intake of breath from the bedroom and went shock still. It was quiet for a few moments, then a few more agitated grunts came from behind the door.

She glanced at the screen. 90%.

Quickly scanning for hiding places and ranking them based on both proximity and cover, Rey whispered encouragements under her breath, "Come on, come on, come _on."_

94%.

A series of gasps and groans came next, sounding tense and almost… frightened.

(She knew those sounds. Heard the other kids at the group homes make them as they fought their dreams at night. Woke up dripping in sweat, heart pounding.)

(It's how she still spent too many of her nights.)

96%.

" _Hurry up!"_ Rey desperately pleaded, constantly looking between the progress bar and the bedroom door.

99%.

"Go go go go-"

A half-yell, followed by springs squeaking and rushed breathing, told Rey he had woken from his nightmare.

Debating her options (none of them good), weighing the risk of leaving the drive versus the risk of staying put, plus cataloguing the closest hiding spots, the screen at last shifted to read: _100% Complete._

"Finally!" Rey hissed at it, snatching the drive while slamming the laptop shut as quietly as possible, then diving into the coat closet. It had the most cover, and was near the door, but directly faced couch and his bedroom door beyond. She should be alright if he didn't look too closely.

The door opened and he stumbled to the bathroom, still breathing heavily. He splashed some water on his face, mumbling to himself, "It was just a dream. Just a dream."

Clearly, whatever his dream was, it had shaken him badly. Coming into the kitchen, Kylo grabbed some milk, poured it into a glass, then grabbed his phone from the counter and stared at it. Flicking the lock screen up, an internal debate played out across his face with tiny head-shakes and furrowed brows.

Giving up, he pressed a series of buttons, then set it on the coffee table as he collapsed on the couch. Rey shrank as far back into the closet as she could, hoping the array of black coats would conceal her and jumping slightly when the speakerphone suddenly announced, " _No new messages. First skipped message:"_

There was the pained sigh again, and Rey realized he was listening to the voicemail that had give her his name. The one from-

" _Ben, it's your mother. I just wanted to say that we missed you at Christmas. I can send you your gifts, if you want them. Just let me know your address and… Look, Ben. I know things are… complicated. But that doesn't mean we can't talk, or that I'm not here for you. If you ever want… anyway. I suppose I just wanted to say that I miss you. We both do."_ There was another long sigh, filled with pain and love and guilt, then a soft, " _I love you."_

" _End of message."_ His phone informed him. " _To erase this message, press one. To-"_

Kylo reached forward, then ended the call, staring at the dark screen for a long moment. In a sudden, angry movement, he flung the phone on the floor, then hissed to himself, "Weakness. Sentiment. _Pathetic_. Pull yourself together. You're more than them. Better than them. It's all fake, a pretense so they can soothe their guilty conscience. You don't need their pity. You don't need _them_."

On the last word, he slammed his fist into the coffee table, splitting it down the middle and knocking the legs askew. Rey muffled a panicked gasp as one of her bugs on the lip of the table was clearly visible, then glanced at Kylo in a desperate hope he wouldn't notice.

He sat on the couch, watching the blood slowly drip from his knuckles for what felt like forever. When he finally stood and made his way to the bathroom, Rey let out a long breath of relief.

Forty-five minutes later, after washing and bandaging his hand, Kylo finally went to bed. Rey waited until his breathing evened out, and then waited an extra fifteen minutes, just to be sure. Creeping out of the closet, she grabbed her bug and relocated it underneath his dining room table, just in case he continued working on his laptop from home.

She snuck over to the door with ghost-like feet, then turned the knob inch by inch until the door opened. She eased one foot out, then froze as a soft whimper came from the bedroom. Looking back, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt.

The cat and mouse game, him chasing, her running, the post-it notes, that was all almost… fun. A battle of wits, skill against skill. But this…

She had been angry. She had wanted to punish him.

Another soft cry came from his room, causing her to flinch.

Clearly he been hurt enough.

Closing the door silently behind her, Rey grabbed her pen and notepad and scribbled a swift message, trying to ignore the voice that sounded too much like Unkar Plutt that told her soft-hearted meant soft-headed and she was going to get herself killed.

 _It's not like that,_ she wanted to tell the voice. _It's different. He's different._

 _I hope._

…

There was nothing quite like the feeling of shutting Hux up.

"As I've said, sir, the measure of his incompetence is nearing laughable proportions. If you allowed me to take point, I'd guarantee you that-"

"The Pollack was in a warehouse on Fisher Street." Kylo announced as he walked into the room, handing the canvas off to one of Phasma's men and enjoying Hux's face turning a bright lobster red. "Stored in container 119. I retrieved it this morning."

There was silence for a moment as everyone present watched Snoke give a single nod. "Well done. May you find the others as swiftly."

With that malevolent blessing, he dismissed them, Hux bowing and scraping as Kylo simply turned on his heel and left.

"How the hell did you find it?" Hux hissed at him.

"I have my sources," Kylo told him superciliously, not even deigning to look his direction as he entered his office and slammed the door in Hux's face.

"As if I'd tell you," he muttered, then pulled out the small yellow post-it note he had found slipped under his door that morning, studying it for the hundredth time.

 _The painting is in the Fisher Street Public Storage, number 119._

 _Sorry._

She didn't sign it, but he knew who had written it all the same.

What he didn't know was why.

…

Rey watched him, her conscience eased by the fact that he had actually come home on time, without his laptop, and while he looked as grumpy as usual, she thought he seemed a little less stressed.

She raised her eyebrows as he pulled out a bottle of whiskey and proceeded to pour himself a generous amount, all while staring at the small file he brought home with him. Rey tried to zoom in, but her binoculars couldn't help her decipher the contents of the manilla folder.

He spread out several pieces of paper, studying one that looked like a blurry black and white photo with a frightening intensity. She was about to give up and go to sleep (her catburgling last night - or rather this morning - was far later and more anxiety-producing than her usual outings) when she saw him tip the rest of the glass down his throat, then refilled it while pulling out his phone.

Suddenly intrigued by this unexpected development, Rey adjusted the volume on her bugs so she could hear his side of the conversation clearly and refocused her binoculars to watch his face as he dialed.

"You don't have any friends," she murmured to herself, eyes narrowed in curiosity. "So who the hell are you-"

 _Bzz. Bzz._

For a moment, she thought the volume for the listening devices was up too high, but then she heard the vibrations again, coming from her box of junked parts.

 _Bzz. Bzz._

She dug through to her old burner phone, staring at the unknown number shining through the cracked screen and turning incredulously back towards the window, where she could just see Kylo sitting on his couch, phone to his ear.

 _Bzz. Bzz._

There were only three people who had that number, none of whom would ever call it once they knew that this burner had been cloned.

 _Bzz. Bzz._

Except maybe the man who cloned it.

She pressed the green button and haltingly brought it up to her ear.

"Hello?" She asked slowly, wondering if this was all some elaborate trap.

"The hell did you mean sorry?" He bit out angrily.

Taken aback and automatically defensive, Rey snapped, "Excuse you?"

"You feel sorry for me? Is that it? You think I can't do my job?"

"What? No!"

"Then what? You pity me? Or you wanted to try out a new way to mock me?"

"No!"

She saw and heard him slam his fist into the table. "Then what?"

"I…" She fidgeted, struggling to articulate her reasoning. "I only take things that people shouldn't have in the first place. Not for myself. But I took the painting because I was angry, and that's… that's not who I am. So I wanted to… say sorry." Glancing down through the window, she fought a blush and mumbled, "That's all."

He didn't move for a long while, then leaned back into his couch and said, "Oh."

They sat in awkward silence for a minute, and Rey almost hung up when he blurted, "Why do you do this?"

Rey frowned. "Do what?"

"Why do you steal things?" He asked the question as if it had been plaguing him, as if he had asked it of the blurry photo over and over again.

She forced a laugh. "Well, the money isn't bad, and these catsuits are just so comfortabl-"

"You don't do it for the money," Kylo interrupted in an irritated tone.

Rey watched him curiously. "I don't?"

"No. You do it for the challenge, for the thrill, for the… test of your abilities. To see if you're that good."

Rey blinked in surprise, then murmured, "If you knew, then why'd you ask?"

He sighed. "I know why you do it, I meant… you're smart, you could be an engineer or a tech designer, so why don't you do something… _normal?"_

Sitting back, she bit her lip and pondered his question. From foster care to Unkar Plutt's gang to her training to being on her own, stealing was really the only skill she had.

"Never had the chance, I guess," She answered softly, tracing invisible lines along the floor. After a beat, she wondered, "What about you?"

"Me?" She could see him point to himself as he said it, which she found oddly adorable. "I have a real job. This _is_ normal."

Rey shook her head. "No it's not. All you do is go to work and come home. You don't go anywhere, you don't talk to anyone. I may be a thief, but I know that's not normal."

"Well if you know so much, why don't you tell me?" He responded petulantly.

She thought a moment before answering, "You like solving puzzles. It's not about the who or why for you, it's about clicking together pieces until they fit. You may hate people, but you like challenges."

 _Like me._

Even if she didn't say it, her epiphany hung in the air like an invisible thread. Connecting them.

"But even then, you could be a writer or a lawyer or something. You're at least on the right side of the law. You could do something normal if you wanted. So why don't you?"

He took another sip of whiskey, then rubbed his face. "... I never had the chance either."

Tempted by his voice, mystified by his sadness, she asked, "Do you ever think about it?"

"About what?"

"What it would be like? To be normal?"

He let out a long breath, then answered, "All the damn time."

She gave a ghost of a laugh. "Yeah. Me too." Shrugging a little, she added, "Although I'm sure I'd be pretty boring if I was an ordinary person."

His answer came swiftly and firmly. "No you wouldn't."

Startled, Rey tilted her head as he fumbled for more words. "I just… whoever you'd be, I'm sure you'd be… extraordinary."

For a moment, she wished she was in the room with him, to see his face, to study his expression, to ask why on earth he said it like it was the utmost truth.

Embarrassed by his vehemence, Kylo shifted on the couch, then mumbled, "I should… it's late."

"Oh, right." Rey realized that he must be exhausted as well. "Well… goodnight."

He froze, then stumbled over his reply, "G-goodnight."

She saw him pause, then quickly end the call, as if afraid of what else he might hear. Or say.

After finishing his glass of whiskey, he drank some water, then retreated to his room. As Rey lay down on her cot, she stared at his window shades as her eyes drifted closed, wondering why he never had a chance to be normal, why he was so lonely, and why she suddenly wanted to see him happy.


	6. Consideration

She woke up in an oddly good mood, sauntering in to the group's impromptu headquarters with a large smile.

"Good morning all!"

Finn frowned at her. "Why are you so chipper?"

Grabbing a bagel, Rey shrugged. "Why shouldn't I be?"

Poe, who was also tilting his head thoughtfully, replied, "Possibly because you stole one of the country's most expensive paintings, and some suits snatched it right out of your hiding place?"

"Oh. Right."

Blinking in concern, Rose put down her coffee, "Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm fine! Why's everyone so uptight anyway?" Rey commented, taking a large bite out of the cinnamon raisin bagel.

"Well, Finn's always uptight," Poe said, pointing casually as Finn protested with a loud, "Hey!"

"You sure you're not upset about the painting?" Rose asked curiously.

Rey stuffed the rest of the bagel in her mouth and busied herself with making tea. "Look, you win some, you lose some. I'll steal something else later. It's fine. What's new with you?"

"We have a job!" Poe announced gleefully, causing Rey to turn around with bright eyes.

"We do?"

"Only if you're up for it," Finn told her with a caring hand on her shoulder. "I know that this Kylo Ren guy has been making your life kinda miserable."

"Oh, well… a new job will make me feel right as rain! What are we stealing?"

"A David!" Rose exclaimed.

"Michelangelo's David?" Rey clarified incredulously. "The one in Florence? Made of marble, seventeen feet tall?" She tapped her chin as she mused aloud, "Mark two laser grid around it, infrared on the floor. We'd need a harness rated for six tons, plus a chopper to lift it out through a skylight…"

She stopped as everyone stared at her.

"What?" She shrugged. "Some people knit."

Poe laughed as he refilled his coffee. "Never change, sunshine."

Winking, she smeared some cream cheese on another bagel. "Why would I?"

Finn shook his head in amusement. "No, a bronze maquette. Tiny version of David he made first out of clay, then bronzed. Only two of them still exist. Both owned by one rich guy, Ian Blackpoole."

Settling in at the table next to Rose, Rey leaned her chair back. "We're stealing both of them?"

"Just one. His wife, well, ex-wife now, was supposed to get one in the divorce, but apparently he buried her in lawyers with some excuse about them being more valuable as a pair, so now she wants to be petty."

Rey's grin widened. "Rich people stealing from rich people? Sign me up!"

"Hold up, Peanut. This is kind of a good news, bad news situation." Finn explained. "Yes, they're all rich. Good news, this pays really well, bad news, there's major security involved."

"More bad news, it's insured by your boyfriend over at IYS, so they already have stuff on you and us." Poe told her. "More _good_ news, thanks to your late night adventure, Rose can now access IYS' servers, so we've got the inside scoop!"

"Yeah, but they've got the latest Dubertech security update, complete with heuristic algorithms that can track suspicious movements, so we are on a strict 'look but don't touch' policy here." Rose warned them, swiveling her laptop around to show off a picture of the miniature bronze Davids as Finn handed Rey a folder.

Rey leaned in, drinking in the details of the security protocols, duty roster, guard rounds, everything she could possibly want.

"Oh, this is going to be fun."

…

As Mr. Blackpoole shouted in the background, Kylo stood quietly in front of the display case, an uncharacteristically warm feeling filling his chest as he considered the post-it note before him.

 _Tell Ian sharing is caring! Thanks B! ;)_

Hux, after completely ignoring Mr. Blackpoole's sputtering demands, walked over to make a snide comment to Kylo, then froze in shock.

"Are… are you smiling?" The man asked incredulously.

Kylo's face immediately darkened. "No."

Eyes narrowing, Hux started, "I could have sworn-"

"Have you ever seen me smile?"

"...No."

"I didn't think so."

Ian Blackpoole stormed over to them, face red with rage. "Who the hell did this?! I want answers! I pay you enough damn money-"

"We believe it's a thief known as the Scavenger," Hux explained placatingly. "We're still working on how she got into your-"

"You're telling me a _girl_ did this? One little girl got past my entire-"

"Team," Kylo interrupted, squatting down to examine the floor.

Both Hux and Blackpoole blinked at him.

"What?"

"Her team." Kylo repeated, "A hacker to loop the footage, a driver for the getaway car, possibly more-" He raised a smug eyebrow at Hux's confused look. "What, you didn't notice the specialized tire treads in the alley?"

Sniffing, Hux shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "Of course I did."

"Of course." Kylo echoed sardonically, getting to his feet.

"I have infrared sensors on the floor," Blackpoole growled. "I have a seismic sensor that triggers at any sound louder than my voice. Not to mention the rotating security code required for entry, and the fact that the logs show the door wasn't opened once last night, so how the hell did they get into my-"

"She didn't use the door," Kylo informed them absently, walking around the display case.

"Are you telling me she flew in?" The older man hissed angrily.

"Floated, technically."

Mr. Blackpoole, who looked nearly apoplectic, opened his mouth to curse before Hux stepped in.

"Floated how? By magic?" He asked sarcastically.

"By a rig attached to that beam," Kylo answered, pointing up as he peered through the hole in the glass.

Everyone in the room besides him looked up in the same motion, and he nearly smiled at the similarity to a mob of meerkats.

"She came in through that vent," He gestured to the small metal grate on the far wall. "Probably made her way in from the window in the hallway, then up through the connecting vent in the bathroom."

Walking below the length of the beam, he continued his lecture. "She jumped from the vent to the beam, then climbed along it until she was directly above the display case. From there, she simply used her rig to avoid the floor sensors, employed a diamond-tipped glass cutter, rather than a torch or dissolving explosive that would set off the seismic sensor, then removed the maquette and retraced her steps."

He straightened his jacket, then strode towards the exit.

"Now I am going to make actual progress on this case. In the meantime, perhaps the rest of you should work on your observational skills."

As the door closed behind him, Kylo smirked a little at Blackpoole's incoherent sputtering and ignored the way Hux narrowed his eyes suspiciously, a strange part of him already itching to pick up his phone.

…

"Not a bad job from you and your team," he commented that evening as he poured himself a glass of whiskey.

"Friends are fun! You should get some," Rey snarked back, and he had to fight a tug at the corner of his mouth.

"I don't need friends."

"That's right. You've got your work and muscles instead," she teased.

"You're not making my job any easier by the way."

She laughed, a warm, genuine sound that settled soothingly into his soul. "If it was easy, it wouldn't be fun!"

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself at my expense," Kylo commented wryly.

"Do you want a hint?"

The glass of whiskey stopped halfway to his lips. "A hint?"

"You said it was too hard, so I thought I'd offer."

"I did not say that." He corrected with a firm point, despite the fact that she couldn't see him. "And what's the catch?"

"No catch. Just my fee."

He snorted. "Your fee?"

"My consulting fee."

"You're not a consultant." He pointed out.

"On the contrary, I'd be the best consultant, because I actually know where things are." She argued cheekily, and he could almost imagine her hazel eyes bright with mischief. "Hence why my cut is 30%."

"30% is outrageous. No one would pay it."

"They would if they wanted their stuff back," she jibed, and he could hear her munching on chips as she sighed and continued, "I know you won't though."

An amused grin grew on his face. "Do you now?"

"Of course. You'd consider it cheating."

He stopped, an odd combination of surprise and… something else swirling in his chest at someone _knowing_ him.

"It _is_ cheating," he managed after a moment to recover.

"Or is it an efficient use of resources?" Rey countered, and he could almost hear her smile. "Work smarter not harder, Ben."

"Are you saying I'm not smart?"

"I'm saying you could be smarter. Not as smart as me, of course."

"Of course," he nodded solemnly, and savored her peal of laughter.

"Okay, but seriously, I do have a question for you, about the case," she told him.

"Now who's the one cheating?" He asked.

"Oh hush. I just wanted to know one thing, and you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

Intrigued, he leaned forward and took another sip of whiskey. "Alright. Ask."

"What did Blackpoole's face look like when he found out? Please tell me it was hilarious."

Kylo chuckled. "He looked like a lobster having a heart attack."

Victorious giggles echoed through the phone. "I knew it! Man, I wish I could have seen that."

"Should I take pictures in the future?" He offered wryly.

"Oo, yes! Tell them it's for research purposes."

"I'm sure they'll buy that," he replied with a raise of his eyebrow.

"It's the truth! I have an ongoing study on the reactions of rich twats when they get their comeuppance," she told him gleefully, her last word interrupted by a loud yawn.

Shifting a little, he set his glass down and said, "Well, it's late and I should let you…"

"Oh, no, I didn't mean to-" Another jaw-cracking yawn cut her off, and Rey sighed. "Although, maybe you're right. I guess I should go to sleep at some point."

"Yeah, you… I should probably go too," he agreed, reluctance coloring his tone.

"Alright, well, goodnight Ben." She murmured sleepily, and her half-conscious voice did things to his chest that he was not entirely prepared for.

"I…" He started, then coughed. "Goodnight."

"Until next time," she responded softly, and his heart rate kicked up a little more at the thought of talking to her again.

"Til next time." He echoed gently.

...

Rey closed the door with a yawn and a sip of her latte. "Okay, Rose, I'm here. What's the big emergency-"

"Oh my gosh, Rey, you will not believe what I found! It's literally unbelievable!" Rose practically screeched.

Wincing at the volume, Rey rubbed her temples. "Rose, I love you, but can we please get to the main emergency part? I need at least six cups of coffee before I can process anything louder than-"

"Look. At. This!" Rose announced triumphantly, shoving a piece of paper at her.

Rey took it and squinted at the enlarged picture of a woman staring at a painting with a man and a young boy next to her. "What a nice family photo, Rose. Why is this literally unbelievable?"

"Because it's not a family photo, it's from the Coruscant Times. From twenty years ago," Rose explained, watching her as if Rey was about to leap for joy any second.

"And…?"

Rose tapped the bottom of the page. "Look at the description."

" _Pictured above is Leia Organa-Solo (left), famed art critic and heiress, admiring the latest exhibition in the Ahch-To Gallery, accompanied by her husband, entrepreneur Han Solo (center), and son-"_ Rey paused, her eyes widening as she read the rest, " _Benjamin."_

She looked up at Rose and breathed, "Ben."

Rose started jumping up and down in excitement. "Ben! His real name is Ben Solo, which means his mom is Leia Organa-Solo, who is art critic _royalty!"_

Rey blinked, then softly repeated, "Ben Solo."

"Not just that!" Rose continued enthusiastically, "His dad is _Han Solo!_ He was a legendary smuggler and fence back in the day. He could get anything anywhere!"

"If she's Leia Organa's son, then that means he's…" Pieces of information suddenly clicked together, and Rey nearly dropped the paper in surprise.

Blissfully unaware, Rose was gleefully typing away. "Man, I cannot wait until we tell the guys. They are gonna freak!"

"No!" Rey yelped, and her friend tilted her head in confusion.

"No what?"

"Let's… let's keep this just between us for now."

Rose cocked her head to the side. "Why?"

"I… I don't want to… play this trump card until we have to."

"But it's just the guys. I'm sure if you asked them not to-"

"Please?" Rey asked, nearly begging.

Furrowing her brows, Rose stared at her friend for a minute, then sighed. "I mean, if it's that important to you…"

"It is."

"Then I guess I can keep it under wraps-"

Rey leapt forward with a grateful hug. "Thank you. Thank you thank you. And I'll tell them eventually, I promise, just not… not yet."

"Alright. If you say so," Rose told her as Rey shrugged her jacket on.

"I do. And thank you again. I just remembered I need to go see an old friend, but we'll talk about this later, okay?"

"Okay…"

As Rey rushed out the door, Rose frowned thoughtfully, then glanced back at the paper where the grumpy boy's face glared back at her.

"Huh."


	7. Change in Engagement

**Change of Engagement**

 _An engagement of the opponent's blade in the opposite line. Changes of engagement are sometimes performed to place one fencer's blade on the side of his/her opponent's blade that he feels has an advantage, or could be just to fool with the opponent._

* * *

From her vantage point in the air conditioner vent, Rey studied the man before her. He was sitting at his desk, studying a variety of photos and contracts, sorting them in a system that only made sense to him. Though his sandy hair was mixed with gray, his movements were sharp and precise, and his eyes flicked up to the door a few seconds before his secretary knocked.

"Mr. Darklighter? I have those printouts you wanted for the Ahch-To Museum."

"Thank you, Kirana. You can just set them there."

The woman nodded, then placed the papers on his desk before closing the door after her. He paged through the document for a few moments, then tilted his head to the side and spoke in a conversational tone, eyes still on his desk.

"Good morning, Rey."

Sighing in bemused defeat, Rey popped the vent cover open and slid out. "Good morning, Luke."

"What do you think of the vents?"

Cracking her neck, she replaced the cover and answered, "Pretty comfortable actually. Did you have them redone?"

"Last year. How'd you get past the laser trip wire?"

"Foil. I enjoyed the new wing of the museum the other day." She commented as she took a seat. "It looks nice."

"I'm glad you approve," Luke nodded wryly, then leaned back in his chair. "And that you have time to visit. I hear you've been keeping yourself busy."

"Well, you know what they say about idle hands…" She jibed back, then bit her lip. "Luke, I wanted to ask you something."

"Is it about your insurance investigator problem?" He asked, a little too casually.

Rey flicked her eyes up to his carefully inscrutable face. "You heard about that, huh?"

"I do try and keep tabs on my former pupil. Especially when you're tormenting the enemy with post-it notes." Luke told her, a hint of rebuke in his tone.

A small, fond smile appeared on her face at the mention, before she quirked an incredulous eyebrow. "I'm sorry, is _the_ Luke Skywalker critiquing my signature for being too dramatic? This coming from a man who blew up Jabba the Hutt's yacht to cover his escape route?"

"That's beside the point," Luke deflected.

"Which is?"

"That one shouldn't bait an expert thief-hunter. Or at least focus on art insured by another company."

Rey shrugged nonchalantly. "Not my fault they have all the good stuff."

After a moment, Luke tilted his head and asked in a low voice, "Why are you here, Rey?"

Palming a wooden puzzle box from his desk, Rey fiddled with it, then spoke slowly. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Luke frowned at her until she continued, "If you knew Kylo Ren was chasing me, why didn't you tell me he's your nephew?"

Her mentor masked his reaction masterfully, but Rey still noticed the way his knuckles whitened, the pause between breaths, the slight widening of his eyes that all told her the truth.

When he still didn't answer, she elaborated, "I did some research. Found his name. His _real_ name." Taking a breath, her voice became sharper. "You told me you had an apprentice before me. After a while, I picked up enough to know he was family." She tensed her jaw and met his gaze. "You told me he was dead."

"He is dead!" Luke growled forcefully, startling her. "There's no part of my nephew left in Kylo Ren."

The man stood, whirling around to face the wall, his breaths loud and angry.

"What happened?" Rey asked softly.

Half-turning, Luke mumbled over his shoulder, "It's not a good story."

Curious and half-frightened at seeing her teacher like this, she whispered, "Tell me anyway."

His blue eyes grew distant as he grasped the silver and black hilt of his cane. "For years, I made a name for myself as the world's greatest thief. I treasured art, and removed it from those who didn't. Eventually I became…"

He trailed off, and Rey quietly finished, "A legend."

Luke smiled bitterly. "Yes. A _legend_." He nearly spat out the word. "I rested in my life's work, confident my legacy would endure."

Taking a breath, his voice suddenly became pained. "Then I saw Ben. My nephew with that mighty Skywalker blood. And in my hubris, I thought I could train him, I could pass on my strengths. Han was Han about it, but Leia trusted me with her son."

Luke paced behind his desk, mouth twisting as he continued. "He was… gifted. I had never seen someone with so much raw talent. But he was also violent. He didn't care about collateral damage, or others getting hurt. Didn't see beauty in the paintings, the art in the con - he wanted to take whatever was worth the most, whatever would get the biggest payday.

"Snoke, the CEO of IYS, found him somehow. Started dripping poison in his ear, whispers of what he could do, what he could be, if he was on his own. And all he had to do was bring Snoke proof, evidence he could use against me. Against Han." His grip on the cane tightened. "Against Leia."

Rey blinked. She had seen and heard of people doing awful things, but betraying his own family? His own mother?

"I had given Han and Leia gifts over the years. Pieces she loved, plans that Han enjoyed." He turned away, as if to hide from the memory. "One night, I followed Ben to his parents' place - to his childhood home - and watched him prepare to rob it. I confronted him, told him this was not the way, this was not _our_ way, but he… he didn't listen. _Refused_ to listen to me. I had no choice, I didn't know what else-"

Luke stopped and closed his eyes in remorse. "Whatever reasons I told myself, the truth is… I turned him in."

Rey's mouth dropped open. There wasn't much honor amongst thieves - stealing from each other, outdoing one another, constant one-upping and dislike was part and parcel of the game - but turning someone in? Turning your own apprentice over to the law? It was… anathema.

That it was her mentor, a man who had saved her from Unkar Plutt, who taught her everything he knew, given her skills, talent, a place to stay and a job to do… How could she reconcile that man with what he was telling her?

"As soon as I had done it, I knew I had broken whatever trust he had left in me," Luke said, more to himself than the reeling girl before him. "I was left with shame. And consequences."

He clenched his jaw, the anger still fresh. "The next night, after Snoke had bailed him out, he went to one of my safehouses, the one where I kept my greatest achievements, my most treasured possessions-"

Rey tensed, imagining Ben bringing them to Snoke, stealing from his own master, undoing everything-

"He burned them."

Her blood ran cold. Turning someone in to the authorities was unforgivable. But burning art? Destroying masterpieces? That was…

 _Unthinkable_.

"I tried to save some of it - any of it, but…" Rey's eyes flicked to Luke's left hand as he curled it into a fist, the skin pitted and ridged with burns, the scars that robbed his hand of use now smooth with age.

His voice was thick with guilt, with rage, with agony. "That night, he destroyed my legacy," he attempted to straighten his fingers until he flinched with pain, "and my future. His revenge was complete."

They sat in silence, Rey shaking her head as she tried to process any of this, until Luke fixed his icy blue eyes on her with frightening intensity.

"Which is why I'm telling you to _run_."

Rey sat back in surprise. "Run?"

"This is not a battle you can win. There is a _darkness_ in him, Rey. One that cannot be driven out."

She sat still for a breath, two breaths, then whispered, "What if you're wrong?"

Luke narrowed his eyes. "I'm not."

Lifting her chin, she stood her ground. "But what if you are? What if his choice isn't made yet? What if-"

"This is not going to go the way you think." He warned forbiddingly.

Rising, Rey met his gaze, ignoring the slight tremor in her hands, and said, "Maybe not. But at least I haven't given up."

Before he could reply, she turned and marched out the office doors, too full of adrenaline and sorrow and confusion to use any of her normal exits, startling the secretary as she stormed outside.

...

"Rey? Rey?" Rose reached over and poked her with a spare coffee stirrer. "Rey!"

The brunette finally looked up from her latte. "Hm? What?"

Rose frowned in concern. "Are you alright? You've been spaced out all day."

"Yeah, I'm… I'm fine." Rey sighed, staring absently at her coffee again.

After watching her friend for a few moments, Rose raised an eyebrow. "Uh-huh. That was very convincing."

Rubbing her face in exhaustion, Rey cast Rose a tired look. "I'm sorry. I've been trying to figure out… a problem, and I can't really find any way to solve it."

Rose patted her arm comfortingly. "You want to talk about it?"

"Thanks, but I should probably deal with this on my own. I don't want to drag you into it." Rey said, letting out a long breath before taking a sip of her latte.

"It's about Kylo Ren, isn't it?" Rose asked, then hid a grin as Rey abruptly choked.

"I… it's not… how do you…" She sputtered as Rose clapped her helpfully on the back.

"Let's just call it a hunch," Rose told her, eyes sparkling with mischief.

After coughing for another minute, Rey thumped her head on the table. "Ugh. I don't know what to do, Rose. No idea."

"About what?"

"About… everything! All I've heard is how awful and terrible and evil he is, and how I should run, and how there's no way to win or even…" She trailed off as she massaged her temples in frustration.

"But…?" Rose prompted, then met Rey's surprised face with a grin. "C'mon Rey. I can hear the 'but' coming from a mile away."

"Fine. _But_ , there's something about him. Something… more than what everyone's saying. Despite all of it, I just feel like… ugh. I don't even know!" Facepalming in defeat, Rey shook her head. "Maybe I'm just crazy."

Rose gave her a sympathetic smile. "Rey, why haven't you ever been caught?"

"Huh?"

"Why haven't you ever been caught?" Rose repeated. "Is it because you study the blueprints? You know the security systems? You do your research? Why?"

"I…" Rey shrugged, then gave it actual thought. "Not really. I mean, not that those aren't important. I try to learn everything I can about the schematics, to have escape routes in case something goes wrong-"

"But how do you know when something's wrong?" Rose prodded.

"Because I listen to my-" Rey stopped, then slowly finished, "My instincts."

Rose grinned. "Exactly. Look, you can have all the information and back-up plans in the world, but you're good at what you do because you follow your gut." Leaning back in her chair, Rose tilted her head and asked, "So, did that help?"

A slow smile spreading across her face, Rey nodded. "You know what, I think it did."

Identical notifications appeared on their phones, and Rey added, "Just in time too! Let's see what Finn's exciting new job is."

As they stood, Rey reached out touch Rose's shoulder. "Thanks. You're the best."

Rose pretended to flip her hair. "I know it."

"And you should trust your instincts too."

Snorting, Rose looked askance at her friend. "About what? Hacking? I think I've got it handled."

"No, about Finn."

The Asian girl suddenly froze. "What?"

"It's not that he's not interested, it's just that he's… well, he's really bad at this stuff. If you want something to happen, you've got to make the first move."

As Rose blinked at her, Rey patted her on the back. "Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me."

Recovering, Rose raised an eyebrow, grabbed her coffee, and jibed, "Right back atcha."

...

The balding man, bowtie bobbling uncertainly above his tux, struggled to keep up with Kylo's longer stride. "Sir, if you don't have a invitation, I cannot allow you to-"

"I don't need an invitation. I'm here from IYS."

"Even so, Mr. Latimer is very busy and cannot be interrupted-"

"Mr. Latimer." Kylo greeted coolly, and an older man turned with an annoyed frown. "Kylo Ren. I'm with IYS. I'd like to talk to you about this party and the idiocy of displaying the Toussaint necklace out in the open before your insurance claim is processed."

After a beat, Mr. Latimer gave him a tight grin. "Mr. Ren. Of course. Let's talk. Would you like some champagne?"

"No."

"Well, more for me then." The man grinned as he grabbed a glass flute from a passing waitress. "What would you care to discuss?"

"How about we start with the fact that you're displaying a one hundred million dollar diamond necklace a week after you contracted IYS to insure it?"

"Oh, come now, Mr. Ren. This is simply a small get-together for my closest friends to celebrate my anniversary." Latimer explained with casual air.

Kylo glanced at the several hundred guests in attendance, the sparkling chandeliers and gold-leafed walls of the building, and the multiple items on display, each worth millions of dollars on its own, then turned his gaze back to Mr. Latimer.

"I'm sure." He said flatly.

…

"What the hell is your boyfriend doing here?" Finn hissed nervously into his comms.

"How the kriff should I know?" Rey hissed back from the other side of the room, ducking behind an ostentatious marble pillar.

"It didn't show up on his calendar, so he must have heard about it in person," Rose commented, sipping her orange soda in the van.

"Alright, everyone calm down," Poe soothed in between flashing roguish grins at the wealthy ladies as he offered them drinks. "This doesn't change anything. Just stick to the plan, and everything should be fine."

"Should be?" Finn repeated in a much higher pitch. "What kind of pep talk is that?"

Poe sighed. "Rose, can you talk some sense into Peter Panic over here?"

"Finn, it's going to be alright," Rose spoke in a calming voice. "I've got all the camera feeds up, and I'll keep an eye on him the whole time. No need to worry."

Letting out a nervous breath, Finn muttered, "Fine. Let's just do this job as quickly as humanly possible and then get out."

"Hold up," Rose commanded, squinting at the screen. "Ren and Latimer are heading to his office."

"Crap on a cracker!" Finn growled, drawing an odd look from the nearby socialite, then shifted his face to one of wonder and said, "I mean… caviar! Mmm!"

The older lady shuffled away offendedly, and Finn dropped the spoon of fish eggs and grabbed a serving tray. "What do we do now?"

"We wait for them to return to the party." Poe answered, peeking at the pair of men marching to the office. "From the look of it, I say Latimer's going to have him thrown out in fifteen minutes or less."

"Have you met this guy? Ten minutes for sure." Rose countered.

…

"I'm not sure that you need to know every detail of my security." Latimer told him in that infuriating good-ole-boy twang. "I think you'd be much happier enjoying the party."

"The terms of your insurance contract state that the assigned agent to your case," Kylo gestured to himself sharply, "that would be me, has the authority to assess and improve security measures for the item in question, regardless of the-"

"Alright, alright." Latimer waved a slightly drunken hand at him. "Enough jibber-jabbery. The stars of the show are out there, and the back-up singers live in my private safe." He knocked against the wall to the right of his desk, producing loud hollow clangs.

"My private safe is the toughest old gal you'll ever meet, which you wouldn't because you need my fingerprint and this keycard to even get into the office." Latimer waved his hand and patted his jacket pocket as he mentioned them. "Should anything happen, my security team will escort the valuables back to their home, lickety-split, armed with guns, knives, and the finest training money can buy."

Popping open a new bottle of whiskey, Latimer poured himself a glass, then offered one across the table. "You sure you don't want anything to drink?"

Resisting the urge to either drink the entire bottle or knock Latimer over the head with it (or both), Kylo clenched his jaw and grit out, "No. Now, as I was saying-"

"You can keep talking all night, if you want, but I'm going back out to the party. I'm celebrating my anniversary after all, and what's an anniversary without a few smooches from the old lady?"

As Latimer sauntered past, he leaned in towards Kylo, who tilted his head as far away from his breath as possible, and added confidentially, "Or from a new one! Whoo hoo!"

Reminding himself that while IYS' lawyers were good, even they wouldn't be able to get him off a murder charge, Kylo stalked after Latimer and grabbed the man's jacket, gathering the immediate attention of his security guards.

"Now wait just a-"

"Son, if you don't need a new dental plan, I'd let go if I were you," Latimer threatened casually, and Kylo reluctantly released his grip.

The older man flashed him a grin, then wandered back to the crowd, shouting "It's my anniversary!" to loud cheers. Kylo watched him go, a small smirk playing across his lips as he tucked Latimer's security key card into his own jacket pocket.

"Let's see someone try to steal anything now."

…

"Oh come on! That's just unfair!" Rose shouted at the screen. "Ren has the keycard now."

A chorus of groans echoed through the comms at the news, although Rose noticed Rey's voice was conspicuously absent.

"Shouldn't be a problem," Rey commented lightly.

"What, you want to pickpocket one of the best thief-hunters while he's specifically looking for thieves?" Poe asked sarcastically.

Rey watched Kylo rejoined the party, a smile slowly spreading across her face.

"Yes." She replied simply. "Yes, I do."

…

Kylo was doing his best to keep everyone at bay by glowering darkly, but somehow that just attracted more women his way.

"Why hello there. Who are you wearing?" A sultry blonde asked with an appreciative eye.

He crossed his arms. "None of your business."

"Come now, don't be coy. If it's an exclusive, I promise I won't tell. I'm very good at keeping secrets." She murmured as she fluttered her eyelashes.

"I doubt it," he stated brusquely, but the blonde only laughed.

"Oh, I've found myself a feisty one, haven't I? My name's Bazine. What's yours?"

"Appetizer, madam?" A dark-haired server interrupted, and Kylo had never been so glad to have a distraction before in his life.

The blonde turned her attention to the roguishly handsome Latino. "Oh, yes please. I don't think I've ever been so hungry."

The waiter smiled and offered his tray for inspection. "I'm happy to hear it. Tonight we have the pâté d'escargot avec bière d'Argentine, which pairs wonderfully with our white wine."

"I'm sure it does," Bazine purred, and Kylo wrinkled his nose in distaste as the waiter suddenly stumbled forward into the blonde, shoving Kylo backwards a few steps.

"Oh my goodness, I am so, so sorry madam," the waiter gushed as he helped Bazine up, turning his back on Kylo's glare. "I have no idea what on earth happened-"

"Je suis tellement désolé," a soft voice came from beside him, and a young brunette woman in a startlingly beautiful backless dress pushed against Kylo to get to the waiter. "S'il vous plaît pardonnez-moi."

Bazine, who was now clinging to the waiter as if her life depended on it, shot the brunette a possessive look. "You should be sorry. I nearly broke my ankle!"

"Je suis vraiment désolé," the girl apologized, then walked away before Kylo could catch even a glimpse of her profile. Although, if he was being honest, he was a bit distracted by the way her backless dress framed her shoulders and accented her toned muscles to really focus on anything else.

"Now, good sir, if you could help carry me to that chair over there…" Bazine commanded.

"But of course ma'am," the waiter acquiesced, brushing past Kylo a little too close for comfort as he led the limping blonde (who occasionally forgot which foot she had 'hurt') across the room.

Narrowing his eyes at the waiter, Kylo touched the outside of his pocket, relaxing infinitesimally as he felt the rectangular form of the keycard through the fabric. Even if the waiter didn't steal it, he was shady (and annoying) enough to deserve special scrutiny throughout the night.

At one point, he thought he saw a dark-skinned waiter looking decidedly nervous duck out the service door. But when he followed out to the street, he was annoyed to find the waiter being kissed soundly by a petite Asian girl, who paused long enough to glare at him and shout, "What?"

Rolling his eyes, Kylo left the pair to their snogging and returned to the party, scanning the crowd for the sketchy waiter, who had apparently escaped Bazine's clutches and was most likely in hiding somewhere. Letting out an irritated breath, Kylo began to pace in a wide circle around the elaborate diamond necklace, his gut still telling him something was about to go wrong.

Halfway through his second loop, Latimer stood up and tapped his champagne glass to call everyone to attention. He then gave a meandering speech about how stunning his wife was, which was almost as stunning as the Toussaint necklace he had bought for her, and quickly devolved into a long boast about how wealthy he was.

As Latimer droned on, Kylo started his third circle, debating how painful death by dinner fork would be, when every light in the building abruptly went out, eliciting screams of surprise and fear from the gathered socialites. He froze, peering at the display case in the darkness, trying to discern if any shadows were approaching the necklace.

After a few tense moments, the lights came back on, and Kylo's shoulders sagged with relief as the Toussaint was still there.

"What in tarnation- git that necklace out of here!" Latimer bellowed to his security team, and Kylo noticed that while most of the wait staff was hurrying to help the confused mass, the Latino waiter from earlier was the only one walking quickly toward the exit.

"No!" Kylo shouted, standing in front of the case and holding up his arms. "That's just what they want."

"What who want?" Latimer demanded.

"The thieves that are here to rob you." He replied, searching the crowd for anyone else acting strangely.

"What in the sixteen hells are you talkin'-"

His world suddenly went quiet as his gaze landed on the same backless dress as before, only this time, she was slyly glancing over her shoulder, giving him a detailed view of her profile, which looked exactly like…

"You," he breathed, and almost as if she could hear him, her eyes flicked up to his incredulous expression. The corner of her mouth quirked up as she turned away, and he all at once noticed the metal clasp of a necklace around the nape of her neck that certainly wasn't there before, just before a swarm of people blocked his vision.

It couldn't be…

She couldn't have stolen…

The necklace was still...

He had the keycard-

As he stared at the Toussaint, the shine of the jewels a little duller than before, and the tiniest hint of neon yellow peeking around the largest diamond, Kylo reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a piece of foil, folded thickly into a rectangle, with a small post-it attached.

 _Made you look! ;)_

In a sudden flurry of motion, Kylo shoved Latimer and his security team aside, barrelling towards the office, dodging through the crowd, desperately reaching out to stop the door from closing.

Slamming the door open, part of him filed away the open safe, the empty vault, ropes trailing out the window, but most of his attention was fixed on the sight before him - Rey, stunning and ethereal in her white backless dress, blood red lips turned up in a wide, playful smile, the tip of her tongue caught teasingly in her teeth as she winked at him, then dove out of the window.

As he rushed forward, his breath caught in his lungs as the edges of her dress fluttered behind her like iridescent wings, her arms spread out in pure joy as she fell through the air.

He should be angry. Should be furious that she outsmarted him, played him. That she stole exactly what he was there to protect, left him with nothing but a worthless forgery and a personal note.

But he wasn't.

Instead he felt almost...

The lines of her rig whirred softly behind him, then screeched to a halt inches before she touched the ground, the chiffon gently floating to surround her as she landed. When she lifted her eyes up to the window, the cascade of diamonds glittering around her neck, encircled by white, banded by the black harness, Kylo thought that he had never seen anything so beautiful.

And as she tossed him an impish salute before unclipping her rig and disappearing around a corner, Kylo suddenly realized what he was feeling.

This odd blend of intrigue, of admiration, of joy and amusement, could only mean that he was in-

" _Shit."_


	8. Compound Attack

_Compound attacks are usually used to draw multiple reactions from an opponent, or against a fencing opponent who uses complex parries._

* * *

She loved this.

As she folded the sheet of tin foil Finn had snatched from the kitchen, Rey knew that she probably should be afraid. Probably should be terrified at the prospect of pickpocketing the one man who had come within inches of catching her, who was searching for any sign of her with the entirety of his attention, who honestly had the best chance of seeing her coming.

God, it was thrilling.

After cracking her neck, stretching her fingers, and letting out calming breath, she nodded and spoke into her comm.

"Ready when you are, Poe."

Poe suddenly stumbled into his new lady friend as Rey walked up behind him, fingers loose and eyes alight.

"Oh my goodness, I am so, so sorry madam," Poe told her as he turned his back to Kylo, leaving just enough room for Rey to push through. "I have no idea what on earth happened-"

Holding the square of tin foil between her pointer and middle fingers, Rey brushed against Kylo's surprisingly toned chest, just lifting the edge of his jacket.

"Je suis tellement désolé. S'il vous plaît pardonnez-moi," she apologized profusely in French, pitching her voice a little lower as she dropped the square into his inner pocket.

The blonde clutched Poe's torso forcefully and shot Rey a death glare. "You should be sorry. I nearly broke my ankle!"

Using her fingers as a tweezer to extract the keycard, Rey plastered on a tight smile. "Je suis vraiment désolé." It took all of her considerable training to keep her head angled away from Kylo's face as she walked towards the open bar.

She could still feel the heat of his gaze on her back, and tried to modulate her breathing as she murmured to Poe, "He still watching?"

"Not for long."

"Now, good sir, if you could help carry me to that chair over there…" Bazine demanded.

"But of course, ma'am," Poe nodded chivalrously, then shoved into Kylo as he escorted the handsy blonde away.

Rey watched out of the corner of her eye as the insurance investigator frowned, then patted the outside of his jacket, still keeping a suspicious eye on Poe. She let out a small sigh of relief as his stance relaxed a fraction of an inch, then meandered towards Latimer's office.

Ducking inside, Rey pried open the false wall to stare at the giant Glenn-Rieder 5200 safe behind it.

"Oh, hello gorgeous," she cooed, caressing the cool steel. "How's about you and me get to know each other a little better, hmm?"

"For Pete's sake, Rey, are you going to crack the safe or take it out to dinner?"

"Don't be jealous, Poe," Rey snarked back amiably. "Just because I met the love of my life doesn't mean you won't."

"Ha. Ha. So funny."

"Enough chatter," Rose interrupted with a smile. "Rey, how long until the safe's open?"

"Give me… ten minutes to sweet-talk this beauty into opening up."

"Ten minutes heard. Finn, time to get to the alley."

"Yeah, I would," Finn muttered in a slightly panicked tone, "'Cept the Prince of Darkness himself is right on my tail. What the hell am I supposed to do?"

"Okay, Finn, stay calm, I'm on my way," Poe replied.

"No, Poe, we need you on the main fuse box." Rose told him authoritatively. "I'll take care of it. Finn, meet me in the alley."

"Oh sure, just meet you in the alley." Finn repeated sarcastically as he ducked out the side entrance. "Just bring the best thief-catcher in the world with me, like it's nothing, like he's tagging along for coffee, like we're friends, like-"

"Finn!" Rose shouted from directly in front of him.

"What?!"

Rose sighed in fond exasperation. "Shut up."

Then she kissed him.

Rather enthusiastically, from the sound of it.

Cheek pressed against the safe door, Rey smiled at Finn's muffled, surprised squeak.

"Atta girl," she nodded, then concentrated on the sounds of the inner workings of the safe.

Normally, this was her happy place. As the world narrowed to the dial in her hand and the clicks in her ear, Rey often found herself drifting peacefully, thinking only of the wheels lining up in perfect formation.

But not today.

Today, thoughts of Kylo Ren kept popping up in her carefully focused trance. Instead of cold metal, her fingers felt the warm fabric of his shirt. Traces of his cologne mixed in with the scent of steel. Staccato clinks of tumblers punctuated the low rumble of his baritone. The faces he made as he bickered with her over the phone. The intense amber of his eyes the first time they met, wild and angry and haunted.

Amber eyes turned to icy blue.

" _He went to my safehouse…"_

Luke's voice echoed around her, full of rage and shame.

" _He burned them."_

She could almost feel the heat of flames sear her skin as she all but jumped back from the safe.

Shaking her head, she placed her ear next to the dial and forced herself to focus on the last two numbers of the combination.

Or tried to, anyways.

She knew the kind of priceless works Luke kept in his safehouses. Had seen the awe-striking prizes of his collection. Had marveled at the raw emotion each piece evoked.

Who could _burn_ art? Destroy expressions of people's souls? Incinerate examples of unfathomable skill and beauty?

Chirrut's warning floated to the forefront of her mind.

" _Be careful, Rey. I sense his heart is full of darkness and turmoil."_

Perhaps he was full of darkness. But she had seen light in him. Small sparks, fading flashes, hints of glimmers as he commented wryly on her antics, as he rolled his eyes at her jokes, as he asked her in a burst of frustrated honesty why she didn't choose to do something _normal_.

The frightened gasps as he wrested free from his nightmare.

The pained whimpers as he fought his demons.

 _There's more to him than meets the eye,_ she thought firmly as she coaxed the tumblers into place.

As the door swung open and she assessed the valuables within, Rey pushed aside her fears and doubts with one final phrase:

 _There has to be._

…

Once all of Latimer's treasures were lowered gently down the rig for Rose and Finn to pack into the van, Rey slipped out of the door and rejoined the crowd, careful to keep out of Kylo's sight. As she readied herself behind a pillar, Rey cracked her neck and tried to shut out Latimer's droning speech, closing her eyes and focusing on the cool presence of the replica necklace Finn and Rose had sent up.

"Ready by the fuse box," Poe called softly in her comm.

Her heart-rate slowed as she took a series of calm, deliberate breaths.

" _Now."_

The lights went out as Poe tripped the circuit breaker, sending the entire room into a confused panic. She slipped effortlessly through the crowd, her eyes already used to the dark, her fingers fastening the fantastically expensive Toussaint around her neck. Pressing the small Post-It note to the velvet underneath, she then laid the forged necklace on the display and floated back victoriously towards Latimer's office.

Shouts surrounded her as the lights came back on. Latimer bellowing at his security team to move the necklace, Kylo's commanding baritone interrupting him.

"No! That's just what they want."

"What who want?" Latimer demanded.

"The thieves that are here to rob you."

Rey couldn't help a smile as she peeked over her shoulder. Of course he'd suspect a heist, try to predict her plan. She'd be disappointed if he didn't.

"So close, and yet so far," she whispered as Kylo held up his arms to halt the others.

Almost as if he heard her, his eyes flicked to her back, then slowly trailed up to her bemused gaze.

Shock washed over his face as he mouthed " _...You."_

She responded with a sly grin, then twirled around and marched as quickly as she could manage towards her escape route, knowing Kylo would be close behind.

"Poe, get the van running. I'll be coming out hot," Rey informed them as she tightened her harness.

"Copy that. Waiting on you."

"Jumping in five, four, thr-" Her head snapped up as Kylo burst into the office, his eyes brushing over the remains of Latimer's safe before landing on her face.

A variety of emotions coursed through her veins as she beamed at him - happiness at seeing him, satisfaction that she outsmarted him, exhilaration that he was so close to catching her.

Biting the tip of her tongue teasingly between her teeth, she gave him an impudent wink before diving out the window. As she flew through the air, revelling in the pure joy of the ultimate feeling of freedom, she watched Kylo's face as he rushed towards her.

She expected to see anger at getting played, at being inches short of reclaiming her prize. Expected professional frustration at the thought of someone taking what he was there to protect. Irritation at her obvious glee.

But instead, there was… surprise. Intrigue. Perhaps a begrudging respect.

As her rig whirred to a halt, Rey watched him lean out of the window. The lingering effects of weightlessness, coupled with the white organza of her dress still falling around her created an almost dreamlike state as Kylo's eyes met her own, filled with an intense feeling she couldn't quite name.

The van revved behind her, bringing her back to the present. She tossed Kylo a playful salute, which felt more like an inside joke than a parting barb, unclipped the rope, then dashed around the corner to the getaway car.

Poe screeched out of the alley, and amidst all of the adrenaline and whirl of emotions, Rey came to a singular conclusion.

Whatever he had done, whoever Luke thought he was, Kylo saw her true self.

And that was ( ...that had to be) enough.

...

"Did you see that?!" Poe crowed from the driver's seat. "Oh my God, it was beautiful!"

"Easy on the turns, Vin Diesel! We've got a lot of fragile money-making things back here!" Finn shouted in protest, trying to protect a jade dragon from Poe's exuberant driving.

"Poe's right though, Rey, the way you palmed that keycard off of Kylo Ren was perfect!" Rose gushed, and Rey gave her a happy smile.

"Hey, I couldn't have done it without you calling an audible on who had the card. And the way you took charge and kept everyone on task - we couldn't have done it without you," Rey told her, pleased to see the other girl blush with pride.

"You know," Poe called from the front, "We make a pretty good team! Maybe we should make a habit of this."

"You know what I think we should make a habit of?" Finn yelled back. "Driving _carefully!"_

The boys devolved into bickering about the best getaway techniques, while Rey leaned close to Rose and teased, "Way to go with Finn, by the way."

The hacker turned an even darker shade of red. "You heard that?"

"Hey, I'm happy for you guys. Finn needs someone to... hit him over the head with subtlety sometimes," she winked.

After a careful amount of evasive driving, Poe left the three of them to stash the goods in a storage facility while he went to switch out the plates and ditch the van.

Rey glanced between Finn and Rose, who were both very obviously trying not to look at each other while she was present.

"I'm going to organize these guys over here," she announced loudly, catching Finn's eye and jerking her head at Rose before making her way to the back of the storehouse. She tried to look as absorbed as possible as she heard Finn shuffle nervously over to Rose.

"Hey, so… um. I just… wanted to say… y'know… I, uh, I like when we, uh, pretend to kiss. For the job."

Rey peeked over the boxes in time to see Rose raise an eyebrow at Finn. "Pretend?" She dished out before walking away.

Standing shock still for a moment, Finn finally looked up with a vaguely stunned look and said, "Heyyyyyyy."

Stifling a grin, Rey turned back to the jade dragon. "Atta girl."

…

Kylo poured himself a generous glass of whiskey before picking up his phone and dialing the now familiar number, his laptop open to the security footage of that night, where the clearest shot of her (which was of course, only her back, framed in that ethereal dress that certainly did not do anything to him) was displayed on his screen.

"About time!" Rey answered cheerfully. "What took you so long?"

"I don't know, how about the sheer amount of paperwork you've caused me? Or the fact that Latimer wanted to murder me himself after your little stunt?"

"Oh please. He wanted to murder you long before that."

Snorting a little, Kylo conceded, "Perhaps. But your note didn't help anything either. ' _Now your wife really is your most precious thing'_? Really?"

"Come on, you had to sit through that awful speech too."

"Yes, but I also have to deal with him afterwards. That added a whole level of rage that I did not appreciate."

"I'm sure you appreciated it a little."

"Appreciate what? More paperwork with threats of being sued?" He jibed back as an email notification pinged in the corner of his screen.

"Sticking it to the man! Taking these rich bastards down a peg!"

"All this coming from someone who stole millions of dollars worth of art?"

"Hypothetically, if I did, it's not all champagne and caviar over here, let me tell you. This ramen is definitely sub-par by any standards." Rey told him with an emphatic slurp.

A wry grin settling on his face, Kylo leaned forward to click on the message icon. "Even so, those who break and enter into glass houses should not-"

He froze.

The email was from his private investigator, Mitaka. The one he hired to keep an eye on Luke. To take pictures of everyone who came and went in his office, to monitor his movements in his little facade of a normal life, the props to make his alter-ego look real.

Besides the regular staff, there was only one visitor who stood out - one person who Mitaka noted he had only seen leave, but hadn't seen enter.

 _Rey._

"Ben?" Her voice echoed distantly in his ear. "Ben, are you alright?"

But why? Why would she have gone to see _him?_ The man who had ruined his life, ruined everything-

The gap in her timeline. He knew she was some kind of foster kid runaway, pickpocketing for a petty criminal until suddenly, she vanished, reappearing as the Scavenger years later. No amount of research had revealed where she had gone, what she had done in between.

Her style. Her skill. Her training.

He should have seen it.

"Ben?"

"Luke," he hissed, his throat dry from rage.

"What?" Rey ventured cautiously.

"He's the one who trained you, isn't he?"

Her silence was answer enough, but he masochistically wanted to hear it in her own voice, wanted her to tell him herself.

" _Isn't he?!"_

Rey swallowed before responding with a quiet, "Yes."

His hands curling into fists, Kylo stood and started pacing across the room, his mind seething with ire, with betrayal, with old wounds reopening in fresh pain.

"Did he tell you?" He demanded, turning in swift anger. "Did he tell you I was his first apprentice? His first student - until he tried to destroy me?"

He could hear her breaths become agitated. "He told me the truth," she said at last.

"No he didn't." Kylo sneered contemptuously. "He told you some fiction, some lie to cover himself with glory and make me look like a-"

"A monster?" Rey added softly, and he could almost hear her flinch.

He paused, the word cutting deeper than he wanted to admit, then grit his teeth.

"Yes. A monster."

"You _burned_ paintings," she whispered, as if afraid to speak the horror aloud. "Why? How could you?"

" _How could I?"_ He shouted in return, storming to his window. "Because they were the only things anyone cared about! Luke, my father, my m-" He forced himself to breathe. "My whole life, no one ever looked at me the way they looked at those smears of paint. My mother could describe every painters' style for hours, but couldn't spare more than a minute for her own son. My father could recite every detail of every job he pulled, but couldn't remember my birthday if his life depended on it."

His tone filled with disgust. "Luke didn't even know I existed until he realized he could make me a version of himself. An exact copy in every way. And when I didn't measure up - when I wanted something different, wanted to be _more_ than him - he turned on me. Betrayed me. Left me for dead."

"You tried to rob your own home!" Rey countered with her own mixture of disbelief and bitterness. "Your own family!"

"They are _not_ my family!" Kylo bellowed, slamming his fist into the counter. "Those… those _people_ never cared for me. Never saw me as anything more than an extension of themselves. They're nothing but hypocritical, lying, worthless, petty thieves!"

His eyes cast over his laptop, where the image of Rey leaving Luke's office was still open, mocking him.

Too full of hurt, of resentment, of long-standing rancor to think of anything besides his pain, he spat out spitefully, "Just like _you."_

There was a sharp intake of breath, then Rey spoke in a cold fury, "He was right. You are a monster."

The line went dead before he could respond with any of the thousand mocking replies that leapt to mind, leaving him with nothing but deafening silence and a sense of complete and utter loneliness.


	9. First Blood

_First blood: 1) The first shedding of blood, especially in a boxing match or in dueling with swords, 2) the first point or advantage gained in a contest._

The problem with never wanting to see a (particular) thief again in his entire life came into sharp relief when Kylo stormed into work and was assaulted with a myriad of photos and files featuring said thief littered all over his office.

Growling with frustration, he snatched the pictures off the wall and shoved them into a manilla folder, which he then banished to his desk drawer. The drawer, true to how this week was going, refused to shut all the way, and Kylo was soon engaged in a battle of wills by slamming the drawer closed over and over again as it continued to pop open.

"Stay closed! You stupid, stubborn, piece of junk motherf-"

"Ren."

" _What?"_ He bellowed, turning to glare at Hux, who simply sniffed at his tone.

"There's been a robbery."

"Did someone steal the stick up your ass?" He snapped, finally kicking the drawer into submission. "Because by all appearances it's still there."

Hux narrowed his eyes. "Snoke wants you to make this a top priority. The police have requested that we come down to the scene in person."

"Why? Do they need someone to read the little mocking note for them?" Kylo sneered, knocking over his trash can for good measure.

For once, Hux didn't rise to his bait. "There's no note. But there is a body."

Kylo looked up with shock. "Murder?"

Hux nodded solemnly.

Standing, Kylo shrugged on his coat and set his jaw. "Let's go."

Wending their way through traffic and a coterie of cop cars, they arrived at the gallery in short order. The coroner's van drove away as an officer waved them under the yellow tape and they approached a grim looking detective.

"Detective Peavey." Hux greeted.

The older man nodded brusquely. "Hux. Ren."

Kylo crouched down, staring at the tacky red puddle on the concrete floor. "What happened?"

"We've got at least three different sets of footprints, so it's a group of them, but that's about all we've got. Whoever it was cut the power, then tried to grab as many Egyptian artifacts as they could before the lights came back on." He motioned his chin at the blood spatter. "Security guard came in, maybe tried to stop them, maybe tried to call for help, and they slit his throat for his trouble."

Hux swallowed reflexively, putting a protective hand to his own windpipe.

"They ran off before the cameras came back on, so we've got damn near nothing to go on." Peavey turned pensively. "Thought it might be the work of your Scavenger."

Kylo jerked his head up in surprise. "What?"

"Word is she's running with a crew now. Maybe one of them has a penchant for violence."

He stood and shook his head. "This isn't her style. Classic, quick, and clean. That's how she does things."

Hux raised an eyebrow at Kylo's tone while Peavey shrugged. "Wouldn't be the first time a criminal made the jump from thief to murderer."

As he took a breath to mount a defense, a voice suddenly echoed in his mind.

" _He was right. You are a monster."_

His mouth snapped shut. "Fill me in. Then I'll find who did it."

…

Two weeks.

It had been two weeks and nothing.

Well, not nothing. Whoever it was had broken into a rich woman's house a few days ago and stolen most of her insanely valuable jewelry, bashing Ms. Earnshaw's gardener on the back of the head and nearly killing him while they were at it.

So nothing _good_ , anyway.

Which was why he was here, at the Niima Art Restoration Center's warehouse, picking through the dark storage shelves on a rumor provided by his least favorite informant.

Officially, DJ was his least favorite source of intel because he would rat out anything to anyone, so none of Kylo's own activities were discreet for long, and because the man believed in quantity over quality - sputtering on and on about any gossip or half-heard conversation he thought could be even the tiniest bit true.

Unofficially, something about the man's darting eyes and constantly shifting stance made Kylo think he had probably made up at least half of any tips he passed on. After sorting through the unreliable mountain of information DJ had dumped on him, Kylo had reluctantly chosen to check out the Restoration Center on the off-chance that DJ's assertions of a potential theft were accurate.

On top of investigating what was probably a wild goose chase, Kylo's mood was further soured by the memory of the last time he had been in a warehouse.

The sting of Luke's treachery. The simmering anger from his childhood boiling over as he watched their precious trophies burn to ash. Snoke's whispers about how no one had come to see him. To talk to him. To help him. How his family had completely abandoned him.

As always.

Put that together with the vision of the sticky red stain on the concrete, the underlying fear of this new gang, whoever they were, and Kylo was more than a little on edge.

The cool presence of the gun tucked in at the small of his back did little to assuage the spike of adrenaline that came at every sound in the too-dark, too-quiet warehouse. Car horns from outside, crow calls from above, the scurrying of rats from below-

Wait.

Not scurrying. More like… shuffling. Like someone trying to walk softly. Trying not to be heard.

His heartrate kicked up a notch as he slowly eased the gun out and pointed it in the general direction of the noise, glancing around to make sure that no one was attempting to bash his head in like the poor gardener.

Creeping forward, he heard another sound, possibly a pallet shifting, and a small muffled curse, as if the person had stubbed their toe in the darkness. Stepping gingerly over to the wall, Kylo felt around for the light switch he knew was there, took a deep breath, then snapped the lights on before immediately gripping the gun's base again.

The person over by the pallets let out a surprised yelp, then swivelled around and met his gaze.

Maybe it was his fear of the unknown gang, maybe it was that haunting stain of someone's lifeblood, maybe it was the brittle, anxious tension of waiting for the warehouse to burst into flames, but his finger curled around the trigger-

(And maybe, _maybe_ , it was because even after he recognized her three buns, her plump lips, her round cheeks and soft chin, the overwhelming sense of betrayal from that photo of Luke's office, from her admitting Luke trained her, drowned out the small voice in his head that shouted warnings about repercussions, consequences, that fact that she would never forgive-)

-and pulled back, firing a shot across the room, grazing her arm as it shattered part of the concrete wall behind her.

The ringing echoes gave way to deafening silence as both of them stared at the hole in the concrete. Rey's head slowly turned towards him, clutching her arm, mouth open, eyes wide, and hissed in a voice of pure outrage, "You. _Wanker_."

Kylo blinked in surprise. He had expected… shock. Surprise. Fear. (He was waiting for fear. Dreaded it. The same fear his parents had when they glanced at him, whispered about him. The same fear Luke had in his eyes that night.) What he had not anticipated was her wrath.

"You bloody shot me!" She shouted, livid with anger.

As Kylo stood there, taken aback by her fury, she reached down, grabbed a piece of concrete, then chucked it directly at his head. He ducked just in time, and when he looked back up, she was gone. Tires squealed outside and he rushed to the window to catch a glimpse of taillights before the car disappeared around the corner.

Wisps of smoke coiled in the darkness as he wondered what the hell he was going to do now.

…

"-and then the twat took a shot at me!" Rey ranted as she pulled out a bandage and some antiseptic from Poe's backseat first aid kit. "His aim was off, so it just grazed me, but still! It was almost like he was actually trying to hit me!"

Poe chuckled as he turned down an alley. "Not to rain on your parade, sunshine, but he probably was."

Wincing as she cleaned the wound, Rey looked up with a frown. "What?"

"Look kid, his job is to get back the stuff you stole. He wings you, great. He slows you down, that gives him more time to find everything. He grabs you, even better. Makes you tell him where your stash is, he returns the paintings, lands a nice commission, and his life gets a hell of a lot easier."

She paused, the bandage halfway around her arm, and murmured softly, "He really was trying to shoot me?"

Poe shrugged. "Happens now and then. God knows I've been shot at plenty of times. Key is, you can't take it personal. It's just business."

Tying the bandage off, Rey sat with that for a moment, then set her jaw. "You're right."

She yanked the knot a little tighter than necessary, determination and steel in her eyes.

"It's just _business_."

…

"Everything?!" Finn squeaked, nearly spitting out his coffee.

"Everything. I want it all gone." Rey waved her hand for emphasis. "If it can be traced back to me, I want it out as soon as bloody possible."

Wiping his chin with the napkin Rose handed him, Finn canted his head. "Okay, but why? What's the rush?"

Rey shifted a little. "I just… don't want anyone to find them. There's a lot of heat and I want to stay ahead of it."

Finn narrowed his eyes. "By 'anyone', do you mean Kylo Ren?"

After sipping her own latte, Rey shrugged. "Maybe."

"Oh, like what happened with the Pollack?" Rose asked sympathetically.

Rey fiddled with the sugar packets on the table. "Yeah. Exactly like that."

"Alright. I'll see what I can do." Finn sighed. "But if you want top dollar, it'll take time. I can move them quickly, but we'd lose a good 20 to 30 percent."

"That's fine. I'm not planning on keeping most of the money anyway."

Shaking his head, Finn smiled fondly. "Ever the hero, Rey."

"Well this hero needs her carbs," she jibed as she swiped one of Finn's croissants. "Later!"

As she returned Rose's wave, Rey pushed through the coffee shop door and nodded decisively to herself.

"There's _that_ temptation dealt with."

…

"B-b-but Boss, haven't I always given you good information?" DJ whined, and Kylo had to force his fists to unclench.

"Good information?! _One_ of the thousand rumors you told me happened to be true three weeks ago. Everything else has been completely worthless, and I'm sorely tempted to let the police know about the little side projects that go on when you're not giving me useless tips." Kylo hissed, slightly gratified as DJ cowered a little.

"L-l-look, just because thieves are unreliable, d-doesn't make it my fault, Boss," his informant wheedled, then waggled his eyebrows. "I do know about something good though. S-something big."

Kylo furrowed his brow in suspicion. "How big?"

"That new gang everyone's looking for? I know their next move."

Interest piqued, Kylo narrowed his eyes. "You know who they are?"

"S-sure. For the right price."

Sighing, Kylo pulled out a few bills and shoved them into DJ's grabbing hands. The snitch counted the money with a greasy smile, then stuffed them in his pocket.

"They're planning on using exchange as set-ups. Grab the cash and the loot, leave the grifter in the lurch."

"I said I want to know who they are. Not some vague gossip about what they might do next." Kylo told him, turning to walk away, rolling his eyes at what a colossal waste of time this was.

"S-s-sapphires!" DJ called after him, a hint of desperation in his tone. "The next exchange is for sapphires and gold bars!"

He paused. Gold and jewelry. Why did that ring a bell?

"Eh?" DJ pressed eagerly. "Th-that's good info for you. Sapphires, gold bars, a pigeon blood diamond-"

Kylo's mind screeched to a halt as a list came to mind.

" _Over a million dollars in gold and jewelry stolen. Items include a set of sapphire earrings, a pigeon blood diamond necklace, gold bars-"_

The Canady job.

 _Rey._

DJ droned on, oblivious to Kylo's realization. "...it's a pretty decent haul for whoever pulled that off. Maybe you can catch them t-"

His eyes bulged as Kylo spun around and all but hoisted him off his feet, fists pressing close to his windpipe.

"When?"

"I-I-I d-don't-"

"Tell me now or I will turn you in myself," Kylo growled, shoving DJ up against the wall.

"T-t-tonight! A-a-at seven near the old theater!"

Kylo stepped forward, adding more pressure. "Who are they? I know you know."

"J-j-j-just know the leader," DJ sputtered hoarsely.

" _Name!"_

"Un-un-unkar P-plutt."

…

Rey sighed and refocused her binoculars, bouncing her crossed feet off of the brick building as she perched on the edge. Despite the fact that there was no movement on the street below, the nervous knot between her shoulder blades tightened. It's not that the buyer was late, because it would be another fifteen minutes before they were even on time, but something in the air, in her gut, told her to put every precaution in place.

The faint sound of rushed footsteps echoed from behind her, and she whirled around to stare at the door to the abandoned rooftop. As the footsteps grew closer, she got to her feet and readied herself to jump.

The door slammed open and she gathered herself to fly before she heard a low baritone call out across the roof.

"Rey! Wait!"

Halting, she slowly turned to stare at Kylo Ren as he stood, panting from his mad dash up the stairs, a small part of her mind noting that this was the first time he had ever used her name.

"Why?" She challenged with a defiant jerk of her chin. "So you can shoot me again?"

She was gratified to see shame and embarrassment color his cheeks as he shifted on his feet. "Look, I just want to talk."

Enjoying his discomfort probably too much, Rey placed her hands on her hips and prodded him again. "About how you tried to _shoot me?"_

He hunched his shoulders and frowned irritatedly at her. "I didn't mean… I just... It was in the dark, and I didn't… It was an acci-"

"Oh no. You knew exactly who I was, and what you were doing when you pulled that trigger. Bye Ben!" She gave him a sarcastic wave and stepped towards the edge.

"It's a trap!"

Rey stopped, looking back with a raised eyebrow. "What?"

"The exchange for the Canady jewels. It's a-"

"A set up?" She finished for him, then watched him blink in surprise.

"You know?" He ventured finally.

"Of course I know! God, you think I don't know a set up when I see one? No one's ever heard of the buyer before, they were in a rush to agree to all my terms, and didn't care that I picked the time and place." Crossing her arms, she regarded him with an affronted stare. "Who do you think I am? Some green sharper fresh on the lay? Some amatuer who can't-"

Her rant was cut-off halfway by a sudden, surprising, almost unbelieving thought.

"Wait. How did you know?"

Kylo scoffed in derision. "One of my mostly unreliable sources finally proved to be of some use. There's a new gang in town, one that's not afraid to kill if they have to, and they're-"

"No, no, no. Why are you here?"

He glowered. "I just told you! These are dangerous people, Rey, and you shouldn't get mixed up in-"

Taking a thoughtful step forward, Rey canted her head and interrupted, "Are you here to warn me?"

Kylo's entire body stiffened, as if he hadn't actually considered that possibility. "I…"

Intrigued by the fact that he was frozen in shock (or perhaps panic), Rey took another slow step towards him. "You came here to warn me," she confirmed softly, to both him and herself. "Why?"

She could see his Adam's apple bobble as he swallowed nervously. "I… I don't…" He forced himself to breathe, then stated uncertainly, "I want my company's things back. Can't find them if you're dead."

Her next step brought her close enough to reach out and touch his chest (if she wanted to, which she was (mostly) certain she didn't). "No. That's not it," she mused aloud, watching microexpressions flicker across his face. "There's something else."

Tilting her head, she leaned closer, basking in the heat radiating from his body and the unsettled way his amber eyes darted between her lips and her gaze, and whispered curiously, "Why are you here, Ben?"

He let out a shaking breath that ghosted over her face.

"I don't-"

"Well, well, well," a self-satisfied oily voice interrupted, turning Rey's blood into ice. "Look at what we have here, boys. The little lost bird, ready to come home to the nest. Miss us, darling?"

…

Kylo furrowed his brows at Rey's sharp intake of breath. An overweight man (who bore a striking resemblance to a blobfish) stood in the middle, five thugs smiling menacingly behind him. Turning his body to face the group and shield Rey at the same time, Kylo sneered in contempt.

"Who the hell are you?"

As he intended, that drew the leader's leering attention away from Rey and onto him.

"Oh, you'll find out soon enough, boyo." He laughed cruelly. "Tell you what, you give us your money and a moment alone with the little lady and we'll let you go."

"Fat chance." Kylo called out, already hating the way the man's eyes kept slipping over to Rey. "No offense."

The leader, who hadn't considered the first statement to be offensive until Kylo mentioned it, swiveled his gaze back.

"Last chance. Step away from the girl, and we'll let you live to tell about how you survived Unkar Plutt at only the cost of your wallet," the fat man growled, and Kylo's dislike increased exponentially.

"Last chance for you." He challenged mockingly. "Leave now and I won't call the police about an attempted mugging."

Plutt and his cronies burst into irritating laughter.

"A mugging? You've got it all wrong, boyo. Me'n Rey are just going to have a nice, civilized conversation, aren't we?"

Kylo blinked at the use of her name, and glanced behind him. His hackles rose as he saw naked, overwhelming fear etched onto her face.

"Rey?" He asked softly, his alarm growing as her only answer were shallow, gasping breaths.

"That's right. Me'n Rey go way back, don't we darling? All I want's a few minutes to chat about what's due me."

"Due?" Kylo repeated suspiciously.

"Yeah! I rescue the runt from the streets, I do, teach her everything she knows, take a little cut here and there to survive, and how's she repay me? By pulling a disappearing act for the next ten years! Ungrateful, that's what she is."

Unkar's complaining tone suddenly became sharp with interest. "But then I come to hear about this Scavenger, about her impressive skills and her incredible hauls. Once the FBI and IYS start poking around, all sorts of information starts popping up, and imagine my surprise when I find out it's my little Rey, all grown up. All's I want is my share of the profits of my hard work. Some respect."

A small, trembling, but rebellious voice shouted from behind Kylo. "Y-you're nothing but a murdering, low-life, worthless _coward_. You don't deserve any respect."

Any facade of reason was immediately replaced by violent anger as Unkar Plutt bellowed, "You're a selfish, deceitful liar and you will give me what's mine or I will make you regret it!"

"Can't get anything if you kill me!"

Plutt's eyes narrowed. "Fine. We'll start with your boyfriend. See if that makes you any more cooperative."

As Plutt snapped out orders to his thugs, who gleefully advanced with a series of nasty looking weapons, Kylo heard a whisper that just barely reached his ears.

"Now'd be a good time to pull your gun."

"I didn't bring it," he muttered out the side of his mouth.

" _What?!"_

"I didn't want to scare you."

"Oh sure, _now_ you think of that!" Rey hissed sarcastically, then let out a tense breath. "Can you use a knife?"

Kylo jerked his head back towards her. "To do what? Calculate the odds of us dying at three to one?"

Rey rolled her eyes, and the knot in his stomach loosened a bit at the familiar gesture. "Fine. If it's too hard, I'll take four. You take two."

"I didn't say-"

"Catch!"

A silver knife with a glistening edge rose into his view as Rey tossed it up. He caught it and looked over just in time to see her step around him, pull a small cylinder off her belt loop, and hold her hand straight out in front of her, glaring at the approaching group in defiance.

About to ask drily if she intended on stopping them with the power of her mind, his snide remark died unspoken as the cylinder instantly transformed to a five foot long metal staff.

Rey widened her stance with a loud stamp of her feet, spinning the metal rod until it blurred through the air, shouting in wordless challenge as she charged, striking the first man in his solar plexus, then sliding the staff down through her other hand to crack the small bones in the second man's foot.

It took a full five seconds for Kylo to realize he was staring with his mouth open in pure awe.

 _God, she was beautiful._

Suddenly aware of the thug moving in to his left, Kylo gripped the knife firmly, one finger resting on the flat of the blade, and just barely dodging the man's wild stabs with an evil-looking serrated edge. He retreated, watching his opponent grow overconfident, then, using his superior reach, sliced precisely at the tendons in the crony's hand.

The man screamed and dropped his weapon. Kylo kicked the knife and then its owner out of the way as he faced the next thug, who was a bit more knowledge about defense than his fallen colleague.

Giving way before the older man's swift movements, Kylo peeked over at Rey, who blocked her attacker's two blades on her staff, but couldn't guard against the following kick. She stumbled backward with a whoosh of breath, keeping him at bay with her spinning staff and eventually sending one knife flying to the side.

Both of them suddenly found themselves next to each other, breathing heavily and blinking at the electricity sparking along their gaze. He wasn't sure who nodded first, but in an oddly instant synchronicity, they both spun back to back, facing the next wave with the powerful reassurance of the other's presence.

Rey's opponent was joined by the one she had hit in the stomach, while Kylo narrowed his focus to the older man who was skillfully avoiding his attacks. In one fluid motion, Kylo saw an opening and slashed down, nearly dropping his weapon at the sheer heat of Rey's hand steadying herself on his thigh as she parried one man's strike and kicked the other one back.

The next few seconds blurred together, coming into sharp clarity as he saw Rey trapped by the bigger man's armlock, her staff too long to get adequate purchase or movement, the same moment the last thug sliced at him with a machete-like knife, rending Kylo's superior reach useless.

Their eyes met again, and the same unspoken connection moved him to toss his knife up in the air behind him as he held his arm to the side, waiting as the metal staff landed with an authoritative thunk into his hand.

Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Rey catch the knife with her free left hand in a deadly reverse grip and slash across her attacker's chest, just as he spun the staff around and landed the point directly in the center of his opponent's forehead.

Stepping away, they both slowly looked up at each other, a gleefully triumphant smile appearing on Rey's face as she took in their fallen foes. Kylo was nearly tempted to return the smile when an awful, excruciating pain abruptly appeared in his side and a large arm wrapped around his throat.

Rey's grin vanished as horror and rage filled her eyes. She ran two steps before Unkar Plutt drove the knife deeper into Kylo's torso and knocked the staff away.

"That's far enough," he warned, the fat folds of his arm nearly suffocating Kylo as his fingers scrabbled for a grip. "Now, you're going to come with me, calm and quiet-like, and I might not leave your boyfriend here to die."

"Let him go, Unkar." Rey pleaded, and Kylo wasn't sure how to take the genuine concern in her voice. "Just let him go, and I'll come with you."

"No!" Kylo tried to shout, but the pressure on his windpipe crushed his voice and the fire spreading from under his ribs limited his resistance.

"You take me to your treasures, then I'll think about it."

When Rey did nothing but bite her lip, Unkar yanked the knife out of Kylo's side and pointed it at her menacingly.

"Now!" He demanded.

In the blink of an eye, Rey threw the knife toward Kylo, who summoned the last of his strength to catch the blade and jam it behind him, collapsing to the ground the second Unkar's grip loosened.

Rey bolted to his side, pausing only to grab her staff off the ground as she grabbed him under his arms, gripping the staff across his chest, and pulled him away from the screaming Unkar to the edge of the building.

The throbbing in his side was making it difficult to concentrate on his surroundings, but Kylo forced himself to keep an eye on Plutt, who was raging incoherently as he held both hands to his face. Rey's momentum stopped, and Kylo wasn't sure if that made his pain better or worse. He also wasn't sure if he was imagining the variety of metal clicks and clinks echoing in his ears, or that the staff had disappeared.

He had to blink a couple times, but now he was sure that Plutt had kicked and shouted enough at two of his fallen men to get them back up on their feet and head cautiously their way.

He should probably tell someone.

Tell Rey.

Opening his mouth, he was surprised to hear Unkar's jeering voice come out. Wait. No. Not out of his mouth. Into his ears.

"Where are you going, Rey? There's nowhere else to run. What are you going to do now?"

Rey's grip tightened across his chest as she pulled him against her, baring her teeth at Unkar.

" _Fly."_

And then they were falling.

Weightless, silhouetted against the moon, Kylo tried to scrape together words. "Rey, I don't-"

"I'm sorry." She whispered in his ear, the rope snapping taut and leaving her tears floating in the air. "I know. I'm so sorr-"

Glass shattered as they crashed through the window of the next building.

 _No,_ He wanted to say, couldn't say over the pounding of blood in his ears, the shadows creeping across his vision, the fire burning in his side.

He wanted to answer her question. To tell her why he came.

 _I don't want anything to happen to you._

 _I don't want you to get hurt._

 _I care…_

 _I..._

Darkness swallowed him before he could finish.


	10. In Defense

He was floating in and out of consciousness, too tired to open his eyes, but the pain below his ribs keeping him from slumber. Caught in the dark between sleep and wakefulness, he latched on to the sounds around him. The soft clinking of glass shards, the rustle of rope, the clanking of metal, the artificial ringing, a low, tinny voice speaking softly.

"Hey, sunshine, can I call you back? I'm kind of in the mid-"

"Poe." Her voice, full of fear and urgency, made him ache to calm her, to let her know not to worry, but his mouth seemed a thousand miles away. "I need help."

The man's demeanor instantly changed to one of alert concern, and Kylo felt a bit of jealousy. "Where?"

"The old theater. On 28th."

"Be there in ten."

"Can you make it five?" She asked with a slight tremor as he felt a gentle touch on his forehead.

"Done. Back?"

"Side. Alley looks onto Cypress."

"See you in four."

The pain in his side spiked as Rey tried to move him, and he let out an involuntary cry.

"I know, Ben, I know. I'm sorry, but we have to move." She told him, shrugging herself under his shoulder, repeating the mantra desperately as he tried to take as much of his own weight as possible.

Several agonizing minutes (or was it hours?) later, they were outside (near a dumpster, if the smell was any indication), raindrops starting to fall in a way that numbed his body but banked the fire by his hip.

Eventually, he heard loud squealing tires, then she let him lay down on something firm and smooth.

"Jesus, Rey, what happened?" Poe asked as the engine revved, the sudden movement rolled Kylo forcefully back against the seat, where he winced in pain.

"Buy went bad," she bit out.

"No shit!"

Kylo felt himself slide to the left, only to bump up against something soft and warm.

"Wait a- Shit, is that Kylo Ren? Rey, I don't have a mask on or anything! And he's bleeding all over my upholstery! I just got this thing-"

"Poe, we need to get him to Chirrut and Baze's." Rey interrupted, applying pressure to his side as he grimaced. "They're over on Aspen and-"

"I know where they live, sunshine, but I'd kinda like to live myself!"

There was silence, then a quiet, subdued, "Please."

Poe let out a frustrated groan, then turned sharply, sliding Kylo away from his warm pillow and the comfort of her hands, and into the release of sleep.

Thunder snapped him awake, and his eyes cracked open enough to realize the storm was actually Rey, pounding frantically on a red door.

"Go away!" Came the angry command from the other side.

"Baze, it's me. Please." Rey called, and Kylo wondered if she knew just how powerful that 'please' of hers was.

The door swung open to reveal the two older Asian men from the dojo. The ones who taught Rey. The ones he had threatened all that time ago. That had summarily kicked him out of the building.

Maybe they wouldn't recognize him.

Baze narrowed his eyes. "What is _he_ doing here?"

Nevermind.

"He is hurt," the other man said, his tone an odd mix of concern and curiosity as his milky blue eyes seemed to discern far more than Kylo was comfortable with. "Bring him to the back room."

Turning in surprise, Baze frowned at the other man, and Kylo could just make out the silent conversation going on between head tilts and slight gestures. With an annoyed grunt, Baze waved them in, and Kylo tried not to hiss in pain as Poe accidently bumped his wound against a vase.

Once they laid him down, Baze directed Rey and Poe to grab pillows while Chirrut appeared with cloths and a well stocked medical kit.

"Get his legs up and his shirt off. Rey, hold his head still, Poe, grab his legs." Baze commanded, and if Kylo's heart wasn't suddenly trying to pound its way out of his chest, he might have been concerned at the serious tone.

Soft fingers threaded anxiously through his hair as a stinging antiseptic ran across his wound, then a forceful weight pressed down on his side. Crying out in pain, he tried to curl up into the fetal position, but something stopped his legs from moving.

"Why is he so cold?" Rey asked, her voice wavering as she put warm hands to his face.

"He's going into shock," Chirrut told her as he knelt and starting humming a strange tune.

"What does that mean?!" She started to shout, then modulated her voice to a terrified whisper as Chirrut placed a hand on her arm.

"It means his body is losing oxygen," Baze grumbled as he added another another dressing on top of the first one, already soaked with red. "And we need the blood to clot."

Kylo could feel Rey's hands tremble by his temples, and he want to hold them steady, but his arms felt encased in concrete, and he was just so dizzy and tired…

"Speak to him." Chirrut said abruptly, then continued his wordless song.

A wet drop hit his forehead.

"What?"

"He's fading. Give him something to focus on. Talk to him."

"About what?"

"Anything. But hurry."

Kylo wished the old man would stop humming. It crept into his ears and his body and made his heart pound more. If it stopped, maybe it'd be quieter, and he could finally get some sleep.

"Do you know how to break into a safe?" She asked him, and if his eyes were open, he would have blinked in surprise.

Luke had taught him, of course, but he was rusty. And had never really liked the way Luke had phrased it, so he pointedly tried to forget.

But he had a vision of Rey in that white dress, pressing her ear to the cold steel safe, red lips smiling as her fingers delicately shifted the dial.

He couldn't speak, but he tilted his head up a fraction of an inch, trying to listen over Chirrut's singing and Baze's muffled mutterings.

Taking a slightly shocked breath at his movement, Rey swallowed and continued, "Well, first you have to take into consideration the make and model. Each company designs the locks a bit differently, and every model likes to show off their latest advances. Now, all this means that you have to take your time with the safe. Say hello, get to know her a bit. If she's a dignified lady, maybe a few rust spots here and there, she may not have all the fancy trappings of the newest versions, but she's got her own secrets. There was this one Glenn-Rieder Prestige from the 1920's that I - hythopetically - broke into a few years back…"

She kept up a stream of one-side conversation as Chirrut fed him some pills and foul-tasting tea, as his pain slowly numbed, as precise, sharp pinpricks marched along his side, Baze's large hands oddly deft with the small needle.

He felt the tension in the room relax as Baze pressed a clean dressing to to wound, then sat back with a sigh.

"It is done. It will be up to him now."

The hold on his legs released as Poe stood and walked over to Rey.

"Baze, we are not quite finished," Chirrut corrected quietly.

The bigger man frowned. "Oh?"

"Shit!" Poe hissed in sudden horror. "Rey, what happened to your back?"

Kylo shifted his head a millimeter in a vain attempt to see what Poe was talking about.

"Oh, I… I might have crashed through a window earlier. And um… landed on some glass."

Poe blanched as he examined her back. "Did an elephant land on you?! Some of these look an inch deep!"

"Well, I was trying to get both of us away from Plutt, and Ben was hurt, so I had to carry him…"

Everyone in the room turned to look at Kylo's six foot frame while Kylo wished he could simply disappear.

"That'll do it," Baze said flatly. "Lay down, mei-mei."

"I actually don't feel that well-" Rey started, then her eyes rolled to the back of her head as she fell to the floor.

"Rey!" Poe shouted, and while Kylo wanted nothing more than to bat the man aside and pick Rey up himself, darkness brought on from the tea and medicine chose that moment to swallow him.

…

He was so tired. All he wanted to do was stay here, in the comfort of night, and sleep forever.

But something called him to wakefulness.

He tried to push it away, but it insisted. It kept poking and prodding him to open his eyes, to listen, to hear.

He didn't want to. It'd be so easy to just rest in the darkness, to keep his eyes closed and his mind drifting.

A pained cry came distantly across the nothingness. Then another.

He couldn't ignore that voice. Couldn't help but try and find its source.

With a monumental effort, he cracked one eyelid open in time to hear Rey let out a short, muffled scream into a pillow.

She was lying on her stomach, head buried into a throw pillow, her back bare except for the hundreds of small red lines, glistening the the light. His heart dropped when he realized the glittering was from shards of glass embedded in her skin.

Baze dropped the bit of glass into a bowl next to him, then cleaned the tweezers with rubbing alcohol before moving on to the next cut as Poe shifted the magnifying glass over. Chirrut gently rested one hand on her head, still singing, as Rey jerked and yelped.

His entire body felt like lead, but he shifted his hand bit by bit, dragging his arm along by his fingers, until he reached Rey's head. He touched her forearm in a silent question, which she answered by pulling her hand out from under the pillow and clutching his fingers tightly.

He didn't notice Poe's confused frown, or Baze's narrowed eyes, or even Chirrut's quiet smile. All Kylo cared about was her grip on his palm, how her cries grew softer, how his thumb made small, soothing circles across the back of her hand, how finally at the end, as Baze's tweezers clattered into the bowl and he and Poe began applying antibiotics and bandages, her shallow gasps finally evened out into deep, restful breaths, meaning he could slip back to sleep too.

…

After what felt like both too long and not long enough, Kylo slowly blinked his eyes open and looked around.

He was on a futon, his legs scrunched up a bit to fit, with a soft blanket on top of his bare chest. Frowning at the lack of a shirt, he tried to stretch, then instantly curled up in pain. Peeking under the blanket, he saw a line of bright red blood appear on the white bandage, protesting his movement.

Snatches of memories came back to him. The roof. Shouting at her to wait. Telling her it was a trap.

Her hazel eyes as she asked why he came.

The terror on her face.

Unkar Plutt.

The fight. Her hand leaving a burning imprint on his thigh.

Fire blazing under his side.

Crashing through the window. The criss-cross of cuts on her bare back.

Because of him.

A soft snore came from his left, and he froze as he realized Rey was sleeping on her own futon beside his.

Inches away.

Still holding his hand.

Gingerly, he tried to pull his hand out of her grip, only to have her grunt sleepily and jerk it closer to her face, leaving him trapped. After debating his nonexistent options, Kylo gave up with a quiet sigh and turned to study her face in the dim light.

Freckles sprinkled across her nose and cheeks, the corners of her mouth were constantly poised to tug upward in a smile, even in her sleep. The apples of her cheeks were dusted with pink, while her nose turned up impishly, her chin was stubborn and her eyebrows seemed ever ready to arch wryly at him.

The image of her wielding her bo staff flashed across his mind, where her strength and beauty and power all merged into a fearsomely awe-inspiring woman.

Who had risked everything to save him.

Thinking back, he realized that the reason they had swung in a perfect arc instead of plummeting straight down was because she had secured her rig to the rooftop of the next building. He couldn't help a small smile. Of course she would have an exit plan. Probably had one or two extras, just in case.

None of which would have accounted for a near comatose, six foot passenger.

She could have escaped at any point. When he burst onto the roof. The second Unkar showed up. When his men moved toward her with knives and murderous intent.

But she didn't. She had stayed and fought beside him. With him.

 _For_ him.

No one had ever done that before.

His mother, his father, Luke, Snoke. None of them had ever risked anything for him. They all used him for their own purposes, their own egos. He had learned quickly that this was simply the way the world worked. If he wanted to do anything, be anyone, he needed to step on others to get there.

And yet...

An incoherent mumble drew his gaze back to Rey, who nuzzled his hand with a contented sigh that twisted something deep inside him.

Her world worked… _differently_ , somehow. He was by every account, her enemy. He was actively hunting her, trying to capture her, reclaim what she stole. But she had tried to protect him. Rescue him. Save his life.

None of it made any sense. Why would she risk anything for him? Risk him knowing her friends, her safe havens, all so he could… what? Heal up and hunt her again, but with better information?

The smallest part of him knew that something had changed the night he had called her. Talked to her more honestly than he had spoken to anyone in a long, long time. There was something in her voice, in her eyes that beckoned to him. Made him want…

Made him want to _feel_. To want something _more_.

He knew all this was wrong. She shouldn't have so much power over him, to increase his heart rate, to compress his lungs, to tie his stomach into knots whenever he thought about her, whenever he got close to her.

Like now.

A voice that sounded suspiciously like Snoke told him that this was all foolishness, weakness, _sentiment_. That she would take every advantage to defeat him, to ruin him, to end him.

But here, in the shelter of darkness, he could shove the voice away. He could reach out, hesitantly, tentatively, reverently, and trace the curve of her face, just brushing his fingertips across her temple and tucking in a stray hair behind her ear.

And if when he slept, he dreamed of what might have been, well, no one was there to see.

…

"Good morning, mei-mei," a cheerful voice greeted softly, calling Kylo to half-wakefulness.

"Morning Chirrut," Rey answered with a quiet yawn.

"Tea?"

"Oh, yes please." She sipped the drink and let out a contented sigh.

"How are you feeling?"

"Better. Thank you both so much again."

"Pssh." Although his eyes were closed, Kylo could almost see Chirrut's dismissive wave. "You are family. In our lives, we are called to defend our honor and our family. This is all we can do."

He could hear the smile in Rey's voice. "Wise words."

"Wise man," Chirrut joked back, and she giggled as she sipped her tea.

Heavy footsteps came into the room, and Baze's low rumble asked, "How is our patient?"

Rey sighed. "I think he's alright. He's been sleeping fairly peacefully, so that's good, right?"

The man hummed in agreement. "He should be able to go home soon."

"Anything I should watch for?"

Kylo's ears perked up a bit at the assumption she was coming with him.

"He might have a fever for a few days, but if it gets above 102, he needs to go to a hospital."

"Got it."

"And you'll need to change your bandages regularly. Most of the cuts are shallow, but you still need to watch for infection."

"I will. Thank you again, Baze."

"Thank us by getting better. And not crashing through any more windows," he grumbled, and even Kylo heard the affection behind his tone.

"I'll do my best," Rey smiled, and Baze humphed as he collected the tea cups and walked down to the kitchen.

Once the footsteps had faded, Chirrut spoke quietly. "Rey. Why did you bring him here?"

"I… I knew you could help," Rey answered eventually, caught off guard by the question.

"Hm. Not false, but not true." Chirrut commented wryly. "And the real reason?"

"I…" Rey started to protest, then sighed. "If I took him to a hospital, I… I'd have to leave him." Kylo felt a light hand brush against his forehead as she continued in a quiet confession, "I didn't want to leave him alone."

"Ah," the man responded in satisfaction. "The truth needs air and light to grow, Rey. Only then can it bloom."

They sat in silence for a minute, then Rey ventured softly, "You said before you sensed darkness in him. Is it still there?"

Chirrut hummed a little, and Kylo felt an odd tingling above his chest that he wasn't sure he liked.

"Yes," he answered, and Rey let out a small, sad sigh before Chirrut continued, "But there is light as well, such as was not there before. They war in his heart, divide his thoughts, conflict his purpose."

Almost as if she was holding her breath, Rey asked, "Can you tell which will win?"

"Only he knows. He is the one to decide his own fate - it cannot be done for him."

A soft, defeated "Oh," sounded from next to him.

"But the light in him has grown, Rey. There's hope in that," Chirrut encouraged her gently. "And you know what I say about hope…"

Kylo could hear the smile in her voice as she whispered in response.

"Hope is all we have."


	11. Corps-à-Corps

_Corps-à-corps: French, literally 'body-to-body'. The action of two fencers coming into physical contact with one another._

* * *

A few hours later, Baze bid them farewell with a warm hug for Rey and a promising glare for Kylo while Chirrut waved happily at the both of them. As Rey helped him into the car, Poe mumbled something about good riddance, which earned him a swat on the shoulder from Rey.

"Where to?" Poe asked, rubbing his shoulder ruefully.

"Finalizer Apartments, 76th and Fisher," Rey told him, bracing Kylo as he tried to buckle the seatbelt.

Wincing, Kylo murmured, "I'm not thrilled about him knowing where I live."

"Well I'm not thrilled with you knowing my face!" Poe snarked from the front as he shifted gears. "But, hey, we adapt."

Kylo was about to snap something uncomplimentary until Rey placed her hand on his elbow. Grunting, he decided to simply shoot the other man dark looks in the mirror instead.

As they pulled up to the curb, Kylo did his best to open the door and stand on his own, despite the warning pain in his torso. As he grit his teeth, he heard Poe whispering to Rey.

"Look, sunshine, you healed him up and brought him home. Why don't you just stay in the car and call that your good deed for the day?"

"I can't just leave him like this!" Rey hissed back.

"Yes, you can! He's the one hunting you down, remember?"

"He saved my life, Poe." She told him in a tone of firm authority. "I owe him that much."

After locking eyes for a moment, Poe sighed in defeat. "Fine. But be careful, you hear me?"

"I will. Thanks Poe."

"Thank me after he doesn't get you thrown in jail," he muttered, scowling at Kylo through the window as he drove away.

Although he felt he was doing quite an adequate job of standing on his own, Kylo still felt an unhealthy amount of relief when Rey ducked under his arm and helped support his weight. He was so focused on putting one foot in front of the other despite his protesting wound that when Rey suddenly stopped, he nearly stumbled from the change of pace.

Turning to her with a frown, his pained demand of what she was doing changed to a soft inquiry as he saw the tension in her face.

"What is it?"

"Cameras," she bit out tersely, and he followed her eyeline to one of the security cameras mounted on the corner of his building, then another above the door, and a third by the garage. "Any further and they'll see us."

He realized that she meant the cameras would see _her_ , a thief wanted by local and federal law enforcement, who had yet to be caught on film.

Let alone what it would mean for her to be caught with _him_.

"Do you want to leave?" He asked quietly, stuffing down the overwhelming desire to never let her go.

Rey let out a long breath, taking into account each of the camera's ranges and blindspots, the single entrance, the security guard at the front desk, the lack of escape routes, her sense of self-preservation setting off warning bells as her grip on his unwounded side grew tighter.

Her jaw set. "No."

Surprise, confusion, and far too much relief filled his heart, and he wordlessly held open the side of his jacket. Rey blinked at the gesture, then up at him with an unreadable expression, before tucking herself into his side, pulling the leather close.

As he hobbled to the entrance, he could just hear Rey ask, "Guard?"

"They're all paid very, very well to keep their mouths shut about anything they see," He murmured back.

"Lucky them," she grumbled, turning her head and pressing it into his chest, instinctively inhaling his warm, oaky scent as Kylo's heart flared with a sudden possessiveness.

He did his best to try and mimic how he walked into his building every day, even if he couldn't remember if he nodded, grunted, or made any eye contact with the doorman at all. Besides the fact that he now had to keep jerking his gaze down from the cameras Rey had pointed out.

They passed by the front guard, who only looked slightly confused at the four legs in one coat, but after recognizing Kylo, turned his eyes back to the door. Kylo pressed the call button for the elevator, fully aware of the tension lining every muscle in Rey's body.

The elevator finally arrived, and as the doors closed, they both let out matching sighs of relief, Rey poking her head out of his jacket and looking up at the ceiling intently.

Furrowing his brows, Kylo glanced up as well, trying to see if there was a camera or other danger lurking above.

"What is it?"

Rey started a bit, then smiled sheepishly. "Habit. I always count the exits whenever I'm a new space. Elevators have just one." She pointed up, then grinned. "I usually ride on top anyways."

By the time the doors opened on his floor, Kylo was starting to shake from exhaustion. Rey took one look and hustled him down to his apartment. He was trying to will enough strength into his hand to punch in the door code when Rey simply reached forward and tapped his supposedly secure, secret passcode into the keypad.

As the light switched to green and the bolt slid home, he raised an eyebrow at her.

"Should I be concerned that you know my code?"

Rey shrugged as she helped him stumble inside. "You could always change it. Give me something to do."

He frowned as she winked impishly at him and helped him over to the bed. As he collapsed gratefully onto the mattress, Rey began rummaging through his cupboards.

"Do you have any food? You're going to need some after losing all that blood."

Motioning wearily at the screen set into the wall, he mumbled, "The building has a kitchen. Order there."

"Ooooo," Rey rushed over and began ordering nearly everything on the menu. As she turned to ask him what he'd like, her gaze softened as she saw Kylo already completely asleep.

She finished up the order, then gently slipped Kylo's shoes off, tried to pull out the covers from underneath, gave up, and placed a soft blanket from his couch over as much of his body as she could.

Hours later, Rey jolted awake on the couch, hands reaching for a knife that wasn't under Kylo's throw pillow. She sat up, trying to slow her heart rate and determine what woke her when a loud whimper came from the bedroom.

Peering in the dark, she saw Kylo toss to the side, curling up in pain as he cried out. Fighting back memories of group homes and the huddled beds back at Unkar's, Rey padded over to the bed.

"Ben," she called softly.

"Didn' mean it," he slurred in his sleep, grabbing at his sheets. "I wasn' going to… Wait, no. Mom, wait. I wasn'... Please, don't… Mom, please, I… No… Come back! Mom-"

"Ben!"

His eyes snapped open, amber irises wide with terror. "I didn't mean it. I didn't…"

"Ben, it's okay. It's me."

Blinking the moisture out of his eyes, he locked his gaze on her. "Are you going to leave too?"

Rey suddenly found it hard to speak as her heart swelled with pity. Brushing his hair out of his face, she shook her head. "No. I'm not."

"Everyone leaves," he told her, his voice small and tearful. "Everyone."

Taking his hand, she squeezed it tightly and said, "Not me."

As his breaths slowed, Rey added, "You're not alone."

He stared at her, as if searching for something in her face. Biting her lip, Rey clambered over him and settled beneath the covers on the other side of the bed.

As she drifted off, she could have sworn she heard his low voice whisper back, "Neither are you."

…

He finally cracked his eyes open at the sharp emptiness in his stomach and the smell of something delicious drifting under his nose.

"Morning Sleeping Beauty! Or more accurately, good evening!" Rey chirruped from the other side of the bed, her mouth full of risotto. "By the way, I need a magic wall that summons food. It's like you live on a spaceship!"

About to growl at her about how modern technology was available to everyone, his attention immediately shifted as she pushed a plate full of steak, green beans, and potatoes towards him.

"Figure you must be hungry. You've slept for basically a full day, and you fell asleep before you could eat any of the amazing dinner from last night."

Making a mental note to remind her he was not her personal vending machine later, Kylo fell on the meal with a vengeance. Once he cleared his plate, Rey came back with a smirk and a new selection of food, which he grunted thanks for briefly before wolfing it down.

"So… not to rain on your food parade, but once you aren't starving anymore, you might want to take a shower. I think you've got some…" She gestured vaguely to his face, "bad guy blood still on you. Or your blood. Not really sure which."

He shot her a look, but a quick glance into a mirror convinced him that perhaps a shower wasn't such a bad idea. Wincing as he got up, he discovered his very dead and seriously scratched cell phone in his pocket.

"Shit," he muttered, plugging it in and hoping in vain that he hadn't missed too many calls.

After watching the screen stubbornly refuse to light up, he rolled his eyes and went to shower, attempting to wash off some of the grit and grime and blood. As the water cascaded down, he rubbed his face and tried to think through what on earth had even happened in the last few days.

He must be insane.

It was the only explanation.

He didn't know what else would cause him to act this way. To find her. To warn her about Plutt. To fight murderous thugs. To invite her to his place. Even Hux had never been to his-

Oh God.

If Hux found out...

If _Snoke_ found out…

Kylo thumped his head against the tiled wall.

What on earth was he doing?

He was risking everything for… for what? For a girl? A thief? A scavenger?

She needed to go. He needed to get her out of here. Get back to real life.

Nodding decisively to himself, he turned off the water and grabbed a towel. He'd get dressed and tell her that if she left now, he would let the investigations go. Or at least give her a few weeks head start in another city.

Stepping out of the bathroom, he opened his mouth to demand that she leave this moment, that she get out of his place and his life and leave him the hell alone, when he was interrupted by Rey's voice calling out from the living room.

"Hey, are you still hungry? Because if so, I'd never had lobster," she said, turning the corner to the hallway, "and your magic wall says it's tonight's spe-"

She froze, her jaw dropping as she looked up at his shirtless form.

He stiffened defensively. "What?"

Her eyes wide, she tore her gaze from his abs up to his face. "Hm? I mean, nothing. Nothing at- You know, we should probably g-get you a new bandage. Yeah. That's what I'll… get the medicine things."

Marching away, cheeks flaming, staring at the floor with small peeks back at his bare chest, Rey nearly walked into the counter before turning the corner and hiding in the kitchen.

Confused, Kylo shuffled into his room and shoved on some pants, thrown off-balance by her reaction. And he certainly couldn't tell her to leave after… after whatever the hell that was.

He'd tell her later. It'd be fine.

Which is how he found himself on his bed as Rey checked his stitches, her face still a bit flushed from earlier.

"So…" She started, dabbing antibiotics on his still-healing cut and casting about for a safe topic of conversation, "do you have any other wounds from heroic battles I should check?"

Kylo tilted his head to the side. "Not sure about heroic, but I did get this," he pointed to the jagged line down his cheek, "from a pain in the ass trying to stop me from doing my job."

Rey gave him a good-natured glare. "Only because you were stopping me from doing mine," she jibed back, the corner of her mouth quirking up as she taped on a fresh bandage. "Besides, it makes you look roguish."

He snorted in response. "That's what my mother always called my father when he-"

Her eyes flicked up to him at his sudden silence, and Kylo realized that if he didn't want to answer questions about his family, he needed to change the subject.

"I can do yours next," he offered impulsively.

"What?"

"I mean, I can… change your bandages next. Since you did mine."

Rey blinked at him for a moment, then swallowed. "I… okay. That'd actually be… helpful."

Letting out a sigh of relief at that bullet dodged, he reached for the box of gauze, then nearly dropped it at the sight of Rey pulling off her shirt.

Her bandages were on her back.

Her _bare_ back.

Oh God, he hadn't thought this through at all.

He forced himself to swallow, his mouth suddenly very, very parched, and tried to focus on the series of small white squares dotting above and below her bra line, red lines seeping through each of them.

It was now his turn to try and make awkward conversation as he peeled the gauze patches off as gently as possible, his traitorous fingers lingering far longer on Rey's skin than strictly necessary.

"S-so… How do you know Plutt? Did he really train you?"

Her muscles flexed as she let out a ghost of a laugh. "He wishes. No, he just…" Rey drifted off, then shook her head. "Screw it. You already have my file anyway. He ran the gang I was with as a kid."

A little surprised at her honesty, Kylo pulled the last of her old bandages off slowly. "How'd you end up with him?"

"The same story as most runaway kids, I'm sure. Barely remember my parents before they dumped me at a group home. There were a few good homes, a couple okay ones, and some really bad ones. After the fourth bad one, I just… left. Lived off scraps for a while, then Unkar found me. Told me he could offer me a job that came with food and a place to sleep, and since I had no other options…"

She hissed in pain as he cleaned a cut by her shoulder, then continued. "He had a group of kids begging, but some of us he trained to pickpocket people. Had us watch anyone who gave money to the beggar kids, note where their wallets were, and then grab them a block later."

Her mouth twisted. "I didn't like stealing from the only people who cared enough to give money in the first place, but that's how Unkar trained us. He told me I could steal from whoever I wanted, as long as I didn't get caught, so I got better. Got pretty good, actually."

"And then?" Kylo asked softly as he traced her cuts with antibiotic. "How'd it end?"

"Unkar had a rule: you don't pay, you don't eat. We all had to come back with a certain amount before we were allowed to have dinner. His 'due', he called it. And if you didn't earn enough, you went hungry. There was this one kid, Ivano. He was… kind. "

She chuckled sadly. "Too kind for his own good. He never had enough, because he bought food for a stray dog, or gave money to a homeless vet, or something. So I helped him out. Always made sure he had enough for Unkar, enough to eat."

Muscles tensing, Kylo glanced up as she clenched her jaw. "Then Unkar found out. Nevermind that he was getting the same amount of money, he still accused us of cheating him. So he-"

Rey grit her teeth in remembered anger. "He broke Ivano's arms. Not mine. Said my hands were too valuable, but he needed to make the lesson stick. So he broke them right in front of me."

Kylo sucked a breath in, heart roaring with fury on her behalf.

"I ran that night. Ran as fast and far as I could, scraping food and shelter from wherever I could find it, stealing when I had to. Always looking over my shoulder, waiting for Unkar to show up. One day, I was so hungry I could hardly think, I lifted this one guy's wallet and he caught me."

Startled, Kylo paused, gauze hanging in midair. " _You_ got caught?"

Rey shot him an offended look. "Hey, I was thirteen. And my fingers were probably shaking from hunger." Her small grin grew as she raised her shoulder a bit. "But yeah. He grabbed my wrist, looked at his wallet in my hand, then asked if I was a thief."

"What'd you say?"

She shrugged mischievously. "I said 'No'."

Kylo shook his head wryly. "Of course you did."

"Then he asked if I wanted to become one."

He stopped, pieces of information clicking together. "Luke."

"Yeah. He offered to teach me, to take me away, to protect me from Unkar. All my dreams on a silver platter. So he trained me, taught me everything he knew, then released me on the world." Rey fell quiet, then murmured, "He saved my life."

The only sound was Kylo cutting a piece of tape for the next bandage.

"Lifted the old man's wallet, huh?" He spoke finally.

Rey nodded. "Yeah. Got it halfway out of his pocket too."

"Not bad."

"That's what he said," she told him with a half-grin that slowly faded as Kylo touched antibiotic to the last cut.

"I'm sorry for what he did to you," Rey murmured over her shoulder, drawing his gaze up. "I know he had his reasons, but… I'm sorry."

A long minute passed before he responded flatly. "That's more than he'd ever say." Pressing the bandage to her skin, he whispered, "I wasn't going to do it. Rob my parents," he clarified, although he was sure she knew what he was talking about. "I just… I wanted them to look at me the same way they looked at those damn paintings. To actually see me for once."

His face twisted in self-loathing. "Too bad they only saw a monster."

"You're not… Look, whatever his reasons, he shouldn't have done that." She spoke firmly, as if rebuking Luke himself, shaking her head as she turned. "You're supposed to protect the people you care about."

The question fell from his mouth before he could catch it.

"Like you did?"

Her head jerked up as hazel eyes met his, and he cursed the way she looked into his soul, like she could see the thoughts he tried to hide from himself.

She stared at him, her mouth partly open, then breathed his name.

"Ben."

It was a question, an answer, a request, a demand.

He responded by closing the distance between them and pressing his lips to hers.

If he thought electricity sparked all the times she brushed past him, this was like the damn Fourth of July. His fingers slipped up from her back to her neck, cradling her face carefully as her arms wrapped around his shoulders, her nails digging into his skin as she pulled him closer.

He was hyperaware of her hands, leaving a burning trail in their wake as the pads of her fingers skimmed along his back, then tangling in his hair. His senses quickly became overwhelmed as he tried to memorize everything, from the way she tasted (like warm, rich wine), to how she smelled (a mix of honey and vanilla), to the pattern of the freckles dusting her cheeks, to the intoxicating, breathy sounds she made as he traced the curve of her ear.

Desperate to press her even closer, to feel the rise and fall of her chest, to savor the heat of her skin, he shifted his palm to her shoulder just as her hand gripped his side, both of them breaking apart as the other winced in pain.

"I'm so sorry," he said at the same time she asked, "Are you alright?"

Quiet breaths of laughter punctuated their rapid heartbeats, and with a tentative half-smile, Rey reached her hand up to his face, her palm just resting on his cheek before she leaned forward and-

A loud clatter of metal vibrating on metal made them spring apart like frightened rabbits, and Kylo hastily fumbled for his phone to stop the discordant cacophony.

" _What?"_ He growled into the receiver.

"Where the hell have you been?" Hux's grating voice demanded, and Kylo had to restrain himself from punching the wall.

"None of your kriffing business."

"You make it my business when you disappear for two days, not a word to anyone, and leave your pile of cases untouched, letting the company's money slip away without a care-"

"I took a personal day. You have a problem with it, you can kiss my-"

"Oh, it's not me who has a problem with it. I'm simply wondering how Snoke would feel about you neglecting your work."

"If you're so concerned about my caseload, you can do it," Kylo snapped, hanging up and about to chuck the phone across the room when he saw Rey, now fully clothed (much to his libido's disappointment), and standing in his doorway.

"You're leaving?" He asked, his voice bordering on plaintive.

Rey nodded, not quite meeting his eyes. "Yeah, I should… Poe's probably told the others what happened, but I'm sure they're worried, so…"

"Right. Of course."

How stupid was he? Did he think she was going to stay here forever? Hadn't he just decided to tell her to get out an hour ago? Why on earth did he think that someone like her would even-

"But…" His eyes snapped up in frantic hope at her single, hesitant word. "Maybe… after everything calms down, we could… talk?"

Too shocked by the fact that she wasn't trying to run away from him, that she didn't hate him, Kylo took a solid minute before he realized she was waiting for him to respond.

He nodded rapidly. "I… Yeah. That'd be… good."

Letting out her breath, Rey gave him a slow, happy smile - so different from the winks and impish grins she'd flashed at him before, but instead of sharp sparks, this created a building heat in his chest, a comforting warmth that seeped through his body.

"Okay," she answered, turning to go. On a sudden whim, she spun on her heel, leaned across the bed, and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek.

"Goodnight Ben," she whispered, then fled.

Completely stunned, Kylo stared at the empty doorway and disbelievingly reached up to touch his face, the imprint of her lips still burning on his skin.

Falling backwards onto the bed, he had an impossible thought.

Maybe something… _good_ might be happening to him.

For once in his life, maybe something was going right.


	12. Pis-Aller

_Pis-aller: French, meaning 'a move of last resort' or 'worst case scenario'_

* * *

The next few days at work felt… odd.

Hux was predictably irritated at the small backlog of work, but somehow his usual needling tone wasn't quite as grating as usual.

It wasn't until Kylo found himself palming his phone for the fifth time in the last ten minutes that he realized what was going on. Why he felt a strange mixture of anxiety and anticipation every time his phone buzzed.

For the first time in ages, he was actually _looking forward_ to something.

Honestly, he hadn't been the same since… everything.

Since the fight.

Since their kiss.

His skin was still fizzling pleasantly even though it had been an entire week since he'd seen her. All it took was a single thought or sound and he was right back there - rushed breaths, tangled hands, burning lips, and her eyes - jade and amber wide with surprise, with vulnerability, with a hesitant, glowing _hope_.

God, when was the last time he had that?

His palms itched the whole way home, and he barely made it through the door before he was pulling out his phone to dial her number. He was only two digits away when his phone started buzzing, the number on the screen unconsciously lifting the corner of his mouth.

"Hi."

"First ring? Hope I didn't keep you waiting," Rey teased, the lilt in her voice illuminating her smile.

He flopped on the couch, tension rolling off his shoulders. "No, no, it's just… been a rough few days."

He could almost hear the pucker of worry in her browline. "You recovering alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'll just be working and then this irritating pain will show up and interrupt everything I'm doing."

"Wait, are you talking about your cut or Hux?"

A laugh burst forth from his throat, odd-sounding and rusty from disuse. Rubbing his face, Kylo shook his head. "You know, I'm not sure."

Rey giggled softly, then added, "You look nice when you laugh."

He frowned in confusion.

"I mean, you… you have a nice laugh."

Shrugging, he ran his hand through his hair. "I guess I wouldn't know. Not a lot to laugh at recently. Or… ever."

There was a slight pause, then she tried, "I don't know. You and Hux having a grump-off at work might be pretty hilarious."

"He makes everyone around him grumpy. You try working with him." He snorted. "Actually, you'd probably drive him nuts. I'd pay to see that."

"How much?" She asked gleefully. "My fee isn't cheap, but trust me, I am worth every…"

As she trailed off, Kylo furrowed his brows. "What is it?"

"Nothing, I… I thought I heard…"

Straining his ears, he thought he could almost pick out distant thuds.

Her voice came again, but whispered and full of terror. "Someone's coming."

"Run! Rey, _run!"_ He shouted, her name leaving his lips for the first time, his heart pounding in fear, in dread.

A loud crash sounded from outside his balcony, and he swiveled his head to see a window shatter on the building across from him, a few floors up and one apartment to the left, shards of glass crashing to the ground as a figure flew down after them, only a thin black rope to slow her fall.

"Rey," he breathed, then rushed out to the elevator. Bursting through the entrance, he glanced around and froze as Hux slammed open the doors of the adjacent building.

"Find her!" He bellowed, then blinked at Kylo as he marched across the street.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Kylo demanded.

"I could ask you the same thing," Hux sniffed. "I'm in the middle of a pursuit."

"Pursuit?"

"Well if you must know, we're closing in on your Scavenger."

His face went ashen. "What?"

"She seems to have camped out in this building, and my men are this close to catching her. Now, either help or get out of my way."

As Hux stalked past him, Kylo worriedly looked around at the possible escape routes around the buildings. Remembering an alcove in the back, he waited until Hux's men were searching elsewhere before ducking around the corner.

Walking down the small alley, he peeked into the few crevices, then whispered, "Rey!"

A brunette head popped out from behind an air conditioning vent. "Ben!"

He motioned hurriedly. "There's no way out down here. This way."

Rey jumped down then ran to him, her hands gripping his forearms as he caressed her shoulder, as if to assure the other that they were real.

"Let's go," he told her, and his skin hummed at how perfectly her hand fit into his palm, how she was gazing up at him, relieved and comforted and trusting-

"Well done," a low hiss echoed as a shadow darkened their only exit.

Kylo skittered to a halt, eyes wide as Snoke himself peered down the alley. Rey bumped into him, her breathing suddenly fast and shallow as she recognized the CEO of the First Order.

"I had my doubts, but it's good to see that you proved your worth in the end." Snoke nodded with a cruel smile. "Now. Bring her to me."

His blood froze in his veins. Everything he had feared, the choice he had put off making for so long, was now inescapably here.

He glanced between Snoke and Rey, between his master and his quarry, between certainty and the unknown, what was and what could be.

As he turned his head, he watched Snoke's eyes narrow in suspicion.

 _Loyalty or treachery,_ he could almost hear Snoke snap out.

 _Resolve or failure._

 _Strength or weakness._

" _When will you finally become your own man? Accept the gifts and training that I alone can give you? Or will you always be a sniveling, cowering boy, flinching in the shadows of his family, begging for scraps of affection? When will you learn that sentiment is weakness, a crutch, a chain to bind you to the will of others. You hold such promise, and yet, are a constant disappointment. Perhaps I was mistaken in believing you'd be of value."_

Kylo shifted his gaze to Rey, who must have seen something in his eyes.

"Ben?" Her voice trembled as it reached no further than his ears.

His grip tightened on her wrist.

Rey paled, then tugged against his hold.

"Bring her to me now, Ren," Snoke commanded, his rheumy stare viciously sharp.

"Ben. Don't do this," she pleaded softly as she pulled against him in earnest. "Please."

Her last word nearly broke him, but one last look at Snoke, who pinned him with a small, satisfied grin, joined by Hux, who regarded him with equal amounts irritation and distrust, maintained his course as he began to drag her closer.

"Ben, please," she begged, her eyes overbright with tears, her feet sliding on the concrete. "Please don't."

He swallowed and averted his gaze. "I'm sorry," he finally choked out.

There was a slight pause, then she murmured, "Me too."

Glancing back at her resigned tone, Kylo was met with a look of steel before she jabbed her elbow into his solar plexus.

Doubled over, gasping for breath, he watched as she broke towards the only exit, Snoke following her every move with terrifying intensity. Hux ran to defend his master, but was met by Rey jamming the heel of her hand up into his nose, and fell to the ground screaming in pain.

Rey swiftly dodged as she grew closer to Snoke, and Kylo had a wild thought that she might escape after all when a long chrome stick sent electric volts sizzling down the back of her neck.

"That's quite enough of that," Phasma remarked, barely sparing a look at her defeated colleagues as Rey crumpled onto the asphalt.

As the head of security went to retrieve her, Kylo straightened with a wince and held up his hand. "Wait."

Phasma raised an eyebrow at him, but allowed him to scoop Rey into his arms.

"She's my responsibility," he told her, then bowed his head before Snoke. "The Scavenger, sir. A gift for you."

Snoke gave him a slow, malevolent smile. "Perhaps there's hope for you yet, young Ren."

His master walked away, leaving Kylo with a cold, sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.

He brushed off the various security personnel as they tried to take Rey from him, flanked the entire way to the black sedan by Phasma, who looped zip cuffs around the thief's hands and legs before opening the door to the back seat.

Kylo laid Rey gently down, her faint groans indicating that she was coming to. Her eyes fluttered open, and before her vision had entirely focused, her mouth turned up into a warm smile.

"Ben?"

He then felt a sharp slice in his chest as her memory returned, her smile went cold, and her brows knit together in anger before she glared firmly at the floor.

Peering to the side, relieved that Phasma had disappeared to talk to a man in a bulletproof vest, he leaned forward and tried to grab her attention.

"Look, I had- Hey, would you look at me? Rey?"

But despite his words, she continued scowling at the dark carpeting.

"Rey, I couldn't… I didn't… Damnit, look at me!" He curled his hand into a fist and punched the metal door before softly muttering, "I didn't have a choice."

After what felt like an eternity, Rey slowly met his anguished stare. "You always have a choice, Ben. Always."

He opened his mouth to argue, then spotted Hux striding toward him. Slamming the door shut, Kylo stood and crossed his arms, doing his best to resist the temptation to punch everything within reach. Including (or rather, especially) Hux.

In spite of the bandages on his nose and the red river of dried blood staining his clothes, Hux seemed unusually chipper.

"See this?" He asked Rey, dangling a plastic evidence bag outside the window. Kylo noticed the small trace of fear that leaked out from behind her bravado, and squinted at the collection of plastic pieces. "Thought you could outsmart me, eh?"

"What is that?" Kylo interrupted, and Hux tilted his head in a superior way that tested Kylo's will not to knock his block off.

"Well, I suppose since you did do a modicum of work, you should know. _This_ is the phone you cloned." He shook the bag's contents at Rey with a smug smirk. "And how we found her."

A high-pitched ringing filled Kylo's ears. "The what?"

"The burner phone you cloned. She tossed it out the window as soon as she heard us coming, but we recovered it."

Kylo took a threatening step forward. "What do you mean it's how you found her?"

Hux shrugged. "You told me that if I was so concerned with your work, I should do it. And so I did. Once I realized that her burner had been cloned, I coordinated with the FBI to find her location if she ever used it again. I'm surprised you hadn't thought of that."

Not quite sure he heard right, Kylo frowned and repeated, "The… FBI?" as his brain suddenly made sense of all of the bulletproof vests and cheap suits around him.

"Of course. I'm sure you're aware of their task force, dedicated specifically to taking her down. Although they certainly wouldn't have been able to find her without my help. And I suppose yours."

Rey jerked her head around to stare at him, mouth open in disbelief and utter, broken betrayal as tears marked trails along her cheeks.

"It'd been inactive for a few weeks, but today was our lucky day. Well, lucky for us. Not sure who she thought was important enough to call that she blew her cover, but I certainly owe them a fruit basket," Hux gloated. "Well, we'll know soon enough."

Blinking, Kylo tried to focus. "It… it's smashed to a pulp. How can you get anything from that?"

"Oh, you'd be surprised at what those tech monkeys can do at the FBI," Hux smiled arrogantly. "All we need to do is recover her call log. Shouldn't take too long." The ginger motioned one of Phasma's security detail over to the car. "Take her to the First Order immediately."

"The First… Why are you taking her there?"

"Snoke wants to speak with her before handing her over to the feds. He's made some arrangement with their boss, which means we have twelve hours to crack her before she's off to prison forever."

Hux waved contemptuously at the car as it sped off, but turned away too quickly to notice Rey's heartbroken glare, or how Kylo watched her until she was out of sight, his eyes filled with conflict as his hand unconsciously clutched his phone in overwhelming despair.


	13. Treason

The interrogation room was clearly designed to intimidate people. Lights a little too bright, the fluorescent tubes buzzing above her, the table and chair sterile and shining, all a way to make prisoners feel trapped and alienated while they fretted, setting victims on edge so they'd practically look forward to answering questions, be more willing to say whatever it took to get out of there.

Which is why Rey was asleep.

Well, more of a catnap than any kind of actual slumber, but this way she could focus on regulating her heartbeat and adrenaline, listen for conversations and guard rotations, and throw off her captors to boot.

They had marched her in here the second they reached IYS' headquarters, known to criminal and cop alike as the First Order, and now everyone stood outside the door, arguing in hushed tones about who was going to ask her what first.

As the door slammed open with raging steps, Rey resisted a smile. Hux. Now _him_ , she could deal with.

She heard a furious clang as his hands landed on the metal table in an attempt to be threatening.

"Where are the rest of the paintings?" He bellowed.

Rey blinked her eyes open, then squinted. "Armie? Is that you? Whatever happened to your face?"

While he had cleaned up the dried blood and changed into a fresh shirt, nothing could hide the fact that under the butterfly bandage, his broken nose was still swollen and a mesmerizing shade of angry red and mottled purple. He glared, then winced as the movement jostled his nose.

"I have to say, it's a wonderful improvement!" She complimented in a cheerful tone.

Baring his teeth, he leaned in close. "Tell me where the rest of your stolen-"

Rey turned her head to the side and waved her hand in front of her face. "Ugh, the same cannot be said for your breath. They must offer you a dental plan here, right? Is there a reason you don't use it?"

"We found your stash of jewels under the floorboards of the apartment you were squatting in," he attempted to ignore her, but the throbbing vein near his temple indicated his fuse was getting shorter. "Where's the rest?"

Rey widened her eyes. "There were jewels in my apartment?! Wow, I really should tidy up more!"

"Silence, you insolent cur!" He shouted. "Where are the other valuables you stole?"

When she didn't respond, Hux glowered and punched the table again. "Tell me now!"

"But you just told me to be silent!" Rey said in a tone of injured innocence. "C'mon Armie, make up your mind!"

He pulled back his hand to slap her, then when Rey simply met his fury with a calm stare, he growled in frustration and spun on his heel to march outside.

Biting back a grin, Rey stretched with a yawn and was about to return to her catnap when, after a series of furious whispers, the door opened to emit Phasma, a large redheaded man Rey didn't know, a sulking Hux who went to pout in the corner, and (Rey swallowed thickly) Snoke.

Hux she could wind up easily, but Phasma's haughty demeanor and unflappable nature made her a much tougher nut to crack. The sweaty older man scowled at her with sharp eyes, everything about him, from his shoes to his cheap suit, reading Fed to her. He was most likely some honcho from her FBI taskforce, there to ensure jurisdiction. He seemed intimidating, but probably depended too much on others' fear of him to do most of his work. Snoke on the other hand…

Snoke _scared_ her.

Rey wasn't afraid of much, but a life on the streets had taught her to recognize danger when she saw it. His predatory stillness, the intense focus of his gaze, and the aura of control set off every alarm bell she had.

Slinking in behind the others was Kylo, slouching next to Hux as Rey determinedly (and angrily) avoid eye contact with him.

Phasma crossed her arms, the picture of steely resolve, and spoke in an almost bored tone. "We know you're the Scavenger."

"The who?" Rey asked glibly, which Phasma ignored.

"But unlike my short-sighted compatriot, I'm concerned with a more pressing issue." The platinum-haired woman narrowed her eyes. "Who is helping you?"

Rey blinked. "What?"

"Where is your mole?" The Fed demanded.

Putting on her best affronted tone, Rey frowned. "Now, that is a highly personal question! True, I haven't been to the dermatologist in a while, but if you really want to know how my last appointment went-"

"Confidential information about schematics, security details, and client profiles have been accessed by an authorized account on our network." Phasma cut in cooly. "Information which is later used to relieve said clients of their valuables. Obviously, someone is working with you - most likely for a cut of your illicit profits. Give up your source's name and perhaps we can work out a deal."

After staring with genuine confusion, Rey suddenly realized what they were talking about. The night she had snuck into Kylo's apartment, the remote link that gave Rose access to his laptop, the layers of encryption Rose used to keep from being noticed - they all thought someone was feeding her information from inside their organization.

Which meant if they found out any of that, they'd think her source was _Ben_.

Her eyes flicked to Snoke, watching her with far too much knowledge for Rey's comfort as her skin crawled.

"It's clearly someone from IYS," the large redhead snapped, scowling at Phasma, "so if you tell us now-"

" _Or_ from the FBI," Hux bristled as Kylo glanced up in sharp interest, "who insisted on gaining access to our case files, even though we all know it stands for Federal Bureau of Incompet-"

"Special Agent Canady," Phasma ground out in a tone of cutting rebuke, "Mr. Hux, if neither of you can maintain at least a facade of professionalism, I will ask both of you to step outside."

Settling a bored expression on her face, Rey piped up, "Maybe I'm just that good."

Raising a supercilious eyebrow, Phasma fixed her with a piercing stare. "No one's that good."

Rey bared her teeth in a feral grin. "I am."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kylo's mouth quirk up in amusement before he resumed his natural glower.

Phasma met her smirk for a long moment, then stepped forward and struck Rey coldly across the face.

The men in the room froze, and Rey could almost feel the tension lining Kylo's body from where she was sitting. Taking her time, Rey slowly turned back to lock eyes with Phasma as she spit blood onto the polished chrome floor.

A hint of annoyance (and possibly respect) flashed in the taller woman's face before she turned on her heel and walked out, followed by Hux and Canady shooting daggers at each other, and Snoke giving Rey a chilling smile that promised much more was to come.

Last out the door was Kylo, hesitating as he held the handle, Rey's eyes drawn to him despite her best effort. As the memories crashed down around her - (her relief transforming into fear, his grip shifting from protective to abrasive, his tawny eyes turning hard as flint, her rescue revealed to be a betrayal) - traitorous tears threatened to spill over onto her cheeks.

Knowing that any trace of regret in his posture would undo her completely, Rey pointedly scrutinized a scuff on the table, trying to ignore how the mark danced and wavered beneath the sheen of her tears. His shadow lingered for a full minute before finally closing the door softly behind him.

Lowering her head, Rey closed her eyes, hoping the others would simply believe she went back to sleep, and allowed herself to silently weep.

…

"What are we going to do?"

"I knew it! I knew he was going to get her thrown in jail. Slimy bastard!"

" _What are we going to do?!"_

"Should have knifed him when I had the chance."

"I mean, she's at IYS' HQ! Sitting in the middle of the First Order, surrounded by tech and guards and cuffs and bars! What are we going to-"

"Both of you stop it!" Rose snapped. "Finn, freaking out is not going to help anyone. Poe, knifing him would have just given us a completely different set of problems."

"Freaking out is better than doing nothing!"

"And stabbing him would mean Rey wouldn't be in jail!"

Whirling around, Rose pointed firmly. "We're not doing nothing, and Poe, then _you'd_ be in jail. Now both of you shut up so I can think!"

The men glanced at each other, then cautiously approached the bank of computers.

"Do you have a plan?" Poe asked.

"I'm trying to come up with one, which is infinitely more helpful than what either of you are doing!"

Finn paced anxiously. "But we have no idea about where they're keeping her, or when they're moving her, or their security, or plan, or anything! We don't have any information that could help us break her out!"

"I do." A low voice answered from the back.

Every head slowly swiveled to see Kylo Ren, dressed in his signature black, standing awkwardly by the door. In a blink of an eye, Poe and Finn rushed at him and slammed him up against the wall.

"You!" Finn growled, pressing his arm against the taller man's throat.

Poe pulled out a knife and danced the blade an inch away from his face. "Give me one reason not to kill you right here."

"You'll never get her out without my help," Kylo choked out, recognizing the rage in his attacker's eyes did not bode well for him.

Sliding his weapon closer to Kylo's ear, Poe narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, right. You're just here to throw the rest of us in prison too! Collect the whole set for your evil masters."

Finn scoffed. "As if we'd trust a single thing you'd say."

"I found you, didn't I?"

"Which proves nothing!"

"It proves I've known how to find your little group all along. I know who each of you are and what you do, and I'm here because I don't care," Kylo bit out, causing Rose to study him thoughtfully. "I only care about helping her."

Narrowing his eyes, Finn increased the pressure on Kylo's neck. "You're the only reason she's in this mess!"

Kylo took a ragged breath, then his shoulders slumped in defeat. "I know," he murmured.

"Let him go."

Poe and Finn turned to pout plaintively at Rose, while Kylo's gaze was a mixture of surprise and reassessment at this girl who didn't even come up to his shoulder.

As she walked up to them, Finn objected, "You don't actually believe this guy, do you?"

Rose stood toe to toe with Kylo and searched his face for a long moment. "I do."

"Why?" Poe questioned in disbelief.

"Because Rey does," she answered quietly.

"Yeah, and look where that got her!" Poe argued.

Kylo tried to interject. "I didn't mean-"

"You have no lines in this play," Rose interrupted in a tone that brooked no argument, pointing for emphasis.

"I'm telling you, he-" Finn started, then fell silent at Rose's commanding look.

" _Now."_

Sighing, Poe reluctantly put away his knife as Finn stepped away with a dark glare.

As he rubbed his throat, Kylo gave a small, grateful cough. "Thank you."

Rose tipped her head in acknowledgment, then jammed her fist into his solar plexus, knocking the wind out of him as the taller man bent in half.

"You cross us, and I will stab you myself," she threatened, then stalked back to her laptop as Poe and Finn gaped behind her.

Kylo straightened slowly, a newfound respect in his eyes. "Noted."


	14. En Guarde

_En Garde: A French warning, "on [your] guard", a direction to be ready to fence, taking the opening position for action._

* * *

"Alright," Kylo started with a slight cough and a wince at his ribs. "There are three main issues we need to address. First, security."

Rose projected the schematics up on the wall as Kylo gestured. "Security at the First Order is tight. They double cameras and sensors with on-site guards, so looping footage or hacking into their system won't do it, you have to deal with the people at each entrance and on every level. Plus, most of them are ex-military, so there's that. It's basically impossible to break in."

Finn glanced around with a hint of panic. "So how do we get Rey out?"

"We don't," Rose answered. "We wait for them to bring her to us."

Nodding in agreement, Poe stretched out on the couch. "Weakest part of security is in transit."

"IYS is handing her over to the FBI in…" Kylo checked his watch. "Six hours."

"Well, we better get moving then!" Finn stood, then paused as Rose shook her head.

"Second problem - evidence." Rose told him, clicking over to a photo of raw diamonds, a gold sapphire bracelet, and an emerald necklace. "They found these in Rey's apartment. They're currently sitting in an FBI evidence locker, along with everything IYS has connected to her so far."

"Shit," Finn murmured. "Those are from the Vorhees job. That was the FBI's first big lead on her, where they got that super blurry first photo."

"And that's not all. They have her phone, too."

The trio of thieves collectively tilted their heads at Kylo.

"So? It's a month-old burner. It's worthless to them." Poe shrugged.

"Not that one. The one that… was cloned."

"The one _you_ cloned?" Finn reminded him archly. "She dumped that right after. That's not going to help them either."

"Not necessarily." Shifting his weight, Kylo scratched the back of his neck. "I… called it."

"Yeah, to tell her it was cloned. I was there."

"Not… just… then," he mumbled.

While Poe and Finn frowned in confusion, Rose's eyes widened in sudden epiphany.

"You've been talking to her, haven't you?" She asked in a tone of gleeful mischief. "A lot."

Kylo fidgeted. "…That's besides the point."

Looking around in disbelief, Finn held up a hand. "Wait, as in, you guys have been chatting on the regular?"

Poe leaned forward, his voice a mixture of shocked and intrigued. "As in, _flirting?!"_

"We have not been... Anyway, to get back to my point-"

"For how long?" Rose demanded curiously.

"I… it really doesn't matter."

"Oh yes it does." Poe grinned. "How long?"

"Immaterial."

"On the contrary, very material! How long?"

"I don't…" Fighting a blush, he mumbled, "A few months."

"Months!?" Finn shrieked.

Gasping, Poe held his hands to his face. "Oh my God, this changes everything!"

Rose gave a satisfied nod, as if this was a confirmation rather than a revelation.

Poe had a sudden thought. "Wait a minute, when I dropped you off at your place, you guys didn't…" His eyes grew wide with horror. " _Did you?"_

"Might I remind you that we have less than six hours to formulate and execute a rescue plan to get Rey out?" Kylo snapped through clenched teeth. "And that this is our only shot. If we don't pull this off now, we won't get another chance. Rey will go to prison."

The reminder quickly sobered the rest of the team.

Rose spoke quietly. "What's the third issue?"

"Timing. Which we are rapidly running out of."

…

Rey's eyes snapped open, her breath freezing in her lungs.

She was still in the interrogation room, alone with nothing but her thoughts and memories, but that's not what had set off her internal warning systems.

A soft footstep echoed outside the door, and it slowly opened to reveal Snoke's silhouette against the bright fluorescent lights.

Rey swallowed her fear the best she could, hands pressed together to hide her tremors as he slid into the seat opposite her.

"Rey. I think we've been long overdue for a talk," he began in a conversational tone that nonetheless sent chills down her spine.

"I have nothing to say to you," she bit out, which only caused him to smile condescendingly.

"Such spirit. When I first heard of your talents, I knew you'd be a good match for young Ren. He's determined, eager, but still so weak. He needed to learn greater control, build better defenses against the more… subtle breed of subterfuge." He tilted his head in consideration. "You provided a perfect opportunity to expose his failings, manipulating him as you did. One can only hope the lesson will stick."

Narrowing her eyes, she straightened her shoulders. "You don't know anything about me. Or him."

"Who do you think assigned him your case? I know more than you can possibly imagine. And I know that he's your source. Tell me now, and perhaps I can make certain arrangements for you. Ensure your time in prison will not be without its," his yellow eyes gleamed cruelly, "privileges."

Rey curled her lip in revulsion. "I don't have a source. And even if I did, I'd never tell you. You underestimate me, and it will be your downfall."

"You overestimate Ren. He has no loyalty to you, no reason to spare you a second thought, unless it's to advance his career. He's not even here. He left hours ago."

She couldn't help a small glance at the one-way mirror, where she had held out one last hope that maybe he was behind the glass, preparing for the right time to help her, to explain that it was all a ruse, that he would never...

Could never...

But no.

" _Soft-hearted means soft-headed," Unkar Plutt had snapped at her ten-year-old self, boxing her ear to drive the point home. "Soft-heads crack, and end up dead. You want to survive? Assume the worst. That way, you'll be both right and alive."_

Of course he wouldn't be waiting for her.

She was a fool to think he would.

"Now, tell me: how long has Ren been feeding you information?" Snoke inquired, his posture practically gloating in victory.

Rey closed her eyes, fighting the pinprick of tears, then lifted her chin in defiance.

" _Go to hell,"_ she spat out.

Snoke's eyes flared in anger, and he reached for her throat just as the door swung open, Hux and Canaday staring with wide eyes.

"Sir," Hux interjected hesitantly. "It's time."

With a hissed curse, the CEO whirled around and marched outside, slamming the door behind him and leaving Rey to her overwhelming sense of despair.

…

"This is impossible. It's never going to work." Rose shook her head.

"It's the only way!" Kylo argued.

"The only way this works is if we have a thief. And not just that, to pull this off, we need a perfect thief. I don't know if you've noticed, but we're kinda down a player, thanks to you."

"The plan doesn't work without it."

"Then we need a new plan."

"We don't have time!"

"Well, unless you happen to have a spare expert thief in your pocket, we're all screwed."

Kylo glared at the blueprints, then murmured, "I could do it."

Rose shot him an exasperated stare. "Look, even if you _were_ a thief once upon a time, I guarantee you're not as good as Rey. And besides, they know your face. You step in there and the whole con is blown."

Finn sighed. "I know a few people I could call. Not sure about how much they'll help, but we could try."

"Can we even get them up to speed in time?" Rose asked.

"Ren," Poe interrupted, narrowing his eyes. "You look more constipated than usual. Something to share with the class?"

"I… might know someone."

"Really? You know a perfect thief, who can be here instantly, who would want to help Rey?" Finn asked sarcastically as they all turned to look at him.

He took an angry breath, then exhaled. "Yes."

Blinking, Rose furrowed her brows. "Who?"

"Well, it's…" Kylo twisted his mouth, as if he couldn't quite bring himself to say the next word.

"Thinking of me, dear nephew?" A low, arch voice came from the shadows.

Everyone whirled around to stare as an older, bearded man stepped forward.

"Who the hell is that?" Poe whispered.

"That's _Luke kriffing Skywalker,"_ Rose breathed in awe.

Finn leaned in. "I thought he was a myth!"

"Apparently not."

Poe turned and hissed at Finn, "Do you even _have_ a security system here? Or can just anyone walk in?"

"Luke." Kylo nodded stiffly. "I thought you were dead."

"You mean that car crash in Paris?" Luke shook his head with a wry laugh. "No one fell for that one."

Rolling his eyes, Kylo grumbled, "The white doves were unnecessary theatrics."

Luke shrugged. "What is life without a bit of flair?"

"Realistic." Kylo cut back.

"Lifeless."

"Efficient."

"Ruthless."

" _Weak."_

Leaning towards Rose's ear, Finn spoke out of the side of his mouth, "What is happening?"

"Something that has nothing to do with us," Rose murmured back.

"Enough." Holding up his hand, Luke met Kylo's eyes with a simple question. "Did you need me for something?"

Fury flashed across Kylo's face.

"I have _never_ needed you," he bit out.

"Should I go, then?" Luke asked calmly, and Poe was about to jump forward before Rose held him back.

Slowly unclenching his fists, Kylo let out a long breath. "But Rey does," he said finally, and Luke's gaze grew sharper. "She needs help. And she doesn't deserve to have her teacher abandon her."

There was a long silence, then Luke bowed his head. "No one does," he agreed quietly, his tone of regret somehow absorbing the tension in the room.

Kylo shifted his weight, then with great effort, met his uncle's gaze. "So. Are you in?"

Luke gave him a knowing smile.

"Always was."

…

Rey waited in silence until Phasma came in to place steel handcuffs on her wrists, tightening them just enough so the metal bit into her skin.

"Let's go."

The head of security pulled her out into the hallway, were Hux and Canady were waiting for them, giving each other suspicious looks in between eyeing Rey possessively. The procession made its way down to the elevator, which opened with a quiet chime as Kylo stepped out to greet them.

Her heart swelled in a painful mixture of anguish and hope as she couldn't help but silently mouth his name.

" _Ben."_

He only met her eyes for a moment before he turned away to stare at the polished black floors, killing what little remained of her dream of escape. Of her faith in him.

" _Soft-headed," Unkar's voice sneered in her mind._

"And where on earth have you been?" Hux snapped at his colleague.

"I couldn't stand another moment of you and Canady bickering," Kylo answered in a bored tone. "Besides, I caught her. My part was done."

" _I_ caught her!" The ginger argued as they all filed into the elevator. "I did the work, I tracked her phone, I-"

"Let her escape, then let her break your nose, then let her escape again?" Kylo needled, and Hux looked close to blows as Canady chuckled.

"He has a point, Armitage." The Special Agent added with a smirk. "One would almost think you were trying to let her get away."

Hux directed his glare towards the larger man as they reached the main floor. "If the FBI were even slightly capable at their jobs, they'd have-"

He was interrupted by Kylo's pull on his forearm, both of them lagging behind as the rest of the group moved towards the entryway, Phasma and Canady glaring at the bystanders milling in the lobby.

"Hux, as much as it pains me to say this, I have to admit - you did an admirable job," Kylo told him reluctantly, then extended his hand. "Well done."

Narrowing his eyes in suspicion, Hux finally allowed himself to preen a little as he shook Kylo's hand. "Yes, well. I suppose you might allow yourself to take some credit. But it is some of my finest work. Perhaps you could learn a thing or two."

A tight smile appeared on Kylo's face as his grip tightened. "Perhaps I could."

Loud taps and surprised yelps echoed across the lobby, drawing both men's attention across the way to see Phasma yanking Rey up off the floor as Canady bellowed at two older Asian men.

"Look where you're going, you idiots! You're impeding an FBI matter!"

The smaller man whipped his cane around to whack Canady in the ankle. "I am so sorry, sir. I am blind, so unfortunately, I cannot take your excellent advice."

Flustered, Canaday tried to babble an apology. "Oh, well, I didn't mean… I didn't know… It's just… You can't go around knocking into people!"

"You and your ableist discrimination can see us in court!" The larger man shouted back as he took his friend's arm. "I want your name and badge number this instant! We are going to sue you, and the FBI for your insensitive, intolerant-"

"Please, sir, let's just… let's talk over here," Canady pleaded, and the smaller man folded up his cane and nodded imperiously.

Sighing, the larger man shook his head. "Fine. Let us talk."

As Canady motioned Phasma on, only Kylo noticed Rey slipping a small metal wire up her sleeve, or the fact that the blind man winked at her as she was bundled into a black sedan. The agents inside the car waved Phasma off when she tried to step inside, pointing to their badges, then to Canady. Growling, she gave them firm instructions, then stalked down to her own silver car to follow closely.

Kylo watched as the sedan and Phasma's sleek Mercedes took off down the street, counting quietly until he reached up and touched his ear.

"Showtime."


	15. Feints

_Feint: a movement made in order to deceive an adversary; an attack aimed at one place or point merely as a distraction from the real place or point of attack_

* * *

"Well, gentleman, now that the Scavenger's in the hands of professionals, I'm sure we'll crack her in no time," Canady smirked, motioning to one of his men to bring his car around. "We'll inform you when we have her confession."

Hux practically vibrated with rage, then turned around with a sneer to march back to his office, when Kylo tilted his head in Hux's direction and muttered, "Probably about to claim all your hard work for himself."

Using the momentum of his turn, Hux whirled back around and stalked toward Canady. "Not so fast. We're coming with you."

The larger man frowned. "I think not!"

"In order to make sure the paperwork is properly filed. And so we understand exactly who did what in this case," Hux stated sharply as Kylo watched from the sideline. "Unless you prefer I speak to the Director himself?"

Canady took a breath to argue, then rolled his eyes. "Fine. But while you're in FBI property, you listen to me."

Wrinkling his still broken nose, Hux looked about to refuse when Kylo stepped in with a neutral, "Of course. We'll extend the same courtesy you did to us."

Nodding, Canady paused to shoot Kylo a suspicious glare before opening the driver's door of the black SUV. Since his main minion already occupied the passenger side, that left Kylo and Hux to climb in on either side of his secondary minion in the back seat.

A few minutes into the car ride, a voice came through on the radio. "Case Agent Canady, this is Vehicle 1138."

"Come in, 1138."

"Sir, we seem to have picked up a tail."

Kylo's head snapped up as Canady blinked at the speaker. "A tail? Are you sure?"

"Yes sir. An orange Camaro, license plate THX977. Attempting evasive maneuvers."

There were screeching noises from the radio, then the agent spoke again. "Ms. Phasma is blocking him for now, but I'm not sure-"

A new feminine voice interrupted, "Vehicle 1138, we have a visual of the pursuing car. Plates are reported as stolen. Sending you an alternate route to the FBI field office. Continue evasive maneuvers until you've lost the suspect, then use the more secure route."

"Copy that."

Canady whipped around to point at Hux. "Call Phasma. Tell her to do whatever it takes to keep that car from following the main transport."

With a snarl of frustration, Hux pulled out his cellphone. "Phasma! That's one of the Scavenger's crew. Cut them off, and lock them down."

A cool voice responded with a simple, purposeful, "On it."

The entire car waited with bated breath until Phasma spoke again. "I've got him trapped down an alley. Tell them to go."

"Get out of there!" Canady bellowed into the radio.

"Switching to alternate route now. Prisoner still secure."

With a victorious smirk, Canady chuckled to himself, "Well that was a spectacularly pathetic rescue attempt." Meeting Kylo's cold gaze, he added, "It's a good thing we had her instead of you, hm?"

Clenching his jaw, Kylo forced himself to respond.

"Indeed," he grit out, his hand curling into an angry fist.

…

Working the evidence locker was one of those jobs that should sound and feel important, but to Sabine Wren, it was mostly just _boring_.

Boxes of illicit materials, stolen valuables, and rare treasures sat behind her, gathering dust unless the cases went to trial. So while she tried to imagine herself as the guardian of priceless artifacts, the reality was that her day was filled with tedium punctuated by paperwork.

Today was mostly tedium, although rumor had it that Canady had just snagged himself the Scavenger, which meant that his already insufferable ego was only going to increase, and that Box K-46 might actually be called upon to leave the dingy shelves and be presented as evidence somewhere.

As she sketched in her notebook, she daydreamed about finding the Ark of the Covenant in one of the forgotten back rooms, all cobwebbed but still glowing with power as she crept up and tried to touch the golden-

"You!"

She was jerked out of her Indiana Jonesian adventure by a nervous looking young man with dark hair.

"I need to review all paperwork associated with Case Number 1435," he told her, looking over his shoulder.

Sighing, Sabine typed the information into her database. "That's Box K-46. Nobody's allowed to take anything from that case. You need the written approval of Case Agent Canady."

"No, no, I don't need to take anything, I just need to check the paperwork. That's all." He assured her, attempting a charming smile.

"Again, you'd need a signed form from the case agent authorizing you to-"

He slammed his hands onto the desk. "I just need to look at it, okay?!"

Frowning, Sabine tilted her head. "Sorry, who are you, exactly? And why do you need to see this box so badly?"

"You know what, nevermind." The man snapped, storming off while shooting small anxious looks back at her.

Sabine narrowed her eyes, suspicion growing, then reached down as the desk phone rang. "Hello?"

An authoritative voice echoed on the line. "Agent Wren, we've had reports of an unauthorized person in the building attempting to access secure information. Have you seen-"

"Yes! A guy was just here, trying to get his hands on Box K-46, the one for the Scavenger case."

The man's voice grew urgent. "Did you get a good look at his face?"

"I did. He was mid-twenties, and-"

"We need you to get up to security right now so you can try to identify him."

"But I can't leave the evidence room unattended."

"We're sending in a senior agent to relieve you, but we need to find this guy ASAP, before he does any real damage! That's an order, Agent Wren!"

"Yes sir!"

As Sabine saw an older bearded man coming down the hall, she thought that possible espionage - while bad for the FBI - certainly made her day a hell of a lot more interesting.

…

Canady strutted proudly into the FBI field office, nodding and smirking at everyone who made eye contact with him (and taking negative mental notes about the ones who didn't).

"Watch and learn, peons! This is how you do the job!" He announced, and Kylo resisted rolling his eyes as Hux snorted derisively.

"We hand the Scavenger over on a silver platter and he acts like a goddamn hero," the ginger spat as they followed behind, watching him shake hands and clap backs as he made his way across the lobby.

"He's FBI. This is his only chance at pretending to be a success," Kylo responded, and Hux sneered in agreement.

"Canady's the biggest bastard there is. Aside from-"

"Director Sloane!" Canady strode forward to shake the hand of the taller, older man who emerged from the elevator. "I take it you've heard the good news."

"It'll be good news when we break her, and not a moment before," the Director of the FBI snapped. "Stop congratulating yourself."

Taking an affronted step back, Canady started to speak, then pressed his lips together. "Of course, sir. But I'm sure we'll have her confession in hand before the day is out."

"Oh? That'll be a change of pace, considering how she led your crack team on a merry chase for over a year."

Canady twitched as Hux stepped up and gloated, "Director Sloane, it should be said that the lion's share of the work was accomplished by myself and others at IYS. In fact, I personally led the raid that resulted in her capture."

"Really?" Sloane raised an eyebrow. "Did the girl break your nose before or after you apprehended her?"

Flushing with anger, Hux was about to argue when Canady interrupted gleefully, "Before, sir. She knocked him flat on the ground until Phasma saved him."

"She did _not-_ "

"Enough! Where is the Scavenger now?"

"She's on her way, sir."

Sloane scowled. "I thought you were instructed to escort her personally to the office."

"I have my best men on it, sir. There was simply a small delay, that's all."

The Director's face darkened. "What delay?"

A low, controlled voice cut in. "There was a rescue attempt."

Everyone jumped to see Snoke, watching them all with a measured stare. Kylo forced himself into a relaxed stance, crossing his arms to hide any nervous movements.

"Snoke!" Canady shifted uncomfortably. "What are you doing here?"

"To ensure the job is done properly," Snoke answered in a vaguely threatening tone.

" _Rescue attempt?"_ Director Sloane repeated, an undercurrent of danger highlighting the question. "Why was I not informed of this?"

"The situation is under control, Director. The suspect tailed the transport for a few miles before-"

"Before Phasma cut him off," Hux added with a targeted glare at Canady.

"And he then eluded her clutches," Snoke informed them coldly. "Leaving us with no information or leads."

Canady tried to reclaim control of the conversation. "We can find out all about her crew as soon as the transport arrives-"

"Agent Canady!" A young man waved him down.

"Not now!"

"Sir, it's about the Scavenger."

Heaving a sigh that was both irritated and relieved, Canady rounded on the young man. "Finally! Where is she?"

The agent swallowed, then ventured, "... We don't know."

...

As the group piled into the FBI Communications Office, Kylo observed everyone's reactions, from Canady's ashen face to Hux's anxious tapping, with a small smirk settling at the corner of his mouth.

"Vehicle 1138, status update _now!_ Where is the prisoner?"

"We have no idea, sir. We had her until we crossed 38th and Lexington, but there was a slowdown due to construction. We were only stopped for a minute, but when we turned around, she was just gone."

Sloane turned to stare at Canady. "Construction? There's no construction between IYS and here."

"Not on the original route, sir, but the alternate directions took us out and around to-"

Speaking in a slow, tight voice, the Director grit his teeth together. "What alternate route?"

"The one Control sent us after we alerted them to the tail."

Kylo watched the gradual dawning of realization on both Canady and Sloane's faces.

"Bascus!" Sloane pointed to a man sitting in front of four giant screens. "When was the last contact made with Vehicle 1138?"

The man typed out commands at lightning speed, pulling up several files. "The last communication was to give them a direct route to the field office at 8:37 this morning. Nothing since then."

Canady slammed his hand down on the surface of the desk, narrowly missing both the keyboard and Bascus' left hand.

"Dammit! They got into our system."

"How is that possible?" Sloane bellowed. "We are the _FBI_ for Chrissake!"

"I… I'm not sure, Director."

"Then find the hell out! Now!"

Canady covered his mouth as his eyes widened. "The mole. The one that got into IYS' network."

"You said they only had access to IYS files," the Director growled.

"Files which Canady demanded we share with the FBI," Kylo pointed out quietly.

Sloane grabbed the case agent's jacket. "Could they have used that to get into our system?"

"They shouldn't be able to!" Canady protested weakly.

The Director looked close to strangling his subordinate when a low chuckle interrupted them.

Canady, jumping at the chance to shift blame and anger to someone else, croaked out, "Hux, if you cannot control yourself, I will have you thrown out of the building so fast-"

Armitage flashed a humorless grin. "If you do, you'll never find her."

The Director released Canady and moved predatorily toward Hux as Kylo and Snoke frowned at him.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

He shrugged nonchalantly, clearly enjoying himself. "We have her tied on the end of a string."

Snoke's eyes narrowed. "Explain. Now."

"I anticipated the possibility of the Scavenger's escaping - especially considering Agent Canady's track record - and provided myself, and IYS, with a bit of insurance."

"Spit it out," Director Sloane nearly shouted.

Hux finally gave in with a large, self-satisfied smirk.

"I put a tracker on her."

The room fell silent as Kylo's breath froze in his lungs.

"There's no hiding now."


	16. Riposte

_Riposte: Defender's offensive action immediately after parrying their opponent's attack, in military usage, a riposte is the strategic device of hitting a vulnerable point of the enemy, thereby forcing him to abandon his own attack._

* * *

Five pairs of eyes watched the small blinking dot with frightening intensity as it zigged and zagged across the screen.

"Left on Alameda!" Canady yelled, and as they swerved, their red dot shortened the distance between them and the blue marker, followed by a fleet of black SUVs.

"Where on earth is she going?" Director Sloane wondered aloud. "She's nowhere near any of her established hideouts."

Hux tapped his chin in thought. "She's on the run. She needs somewhere to lay low. Somewhere we don't know about."

"She's going for help," Kylo murmured.

"Big-time help, it looks like. She's heading to the Mustafar area." Canady observed, naming the strip of millionaire mansions inhabited only by the obscenely wealthy.

Kylo glanced over to see Snoke's brow furrow as he fixed his gaze on the blue dot, growing ever closer.

"Sir, it looks like she's slowing down."

Sloane leaned forward eagerly. "Good. Look up that address. Let's see who she turns to when times get desperate."

Typing quickly, Canady called up the information, then blinked.

"Well? Did you find it?"

The large redhead's eyes flicked from the screen to the other occupants of the car. "Yes, sir."

"So? Who is it? Speak, man! Who is she running to?"

Canady swallowed, then slowly pointed. "Snoke, sir."

Everyone whirled around to stare at IYS' CEO, who glared darkly at all of them. "Of course it's not me, you idiots! This must be part of her game!"

Director Sloane raised an eyebrow. "What game is that? The one where she's on the run from the FBI and isn't aware she's being tracked?"

"It's obviously not Mr. Snoke," Hux interjected. "And it's a non-issue, because Mr. Snoke's residence requires both a fingerprint and a personal code to gain access. She'll be trapped at the gate."

Sloane narrowed his eyes at the other man as Snoke settled for a defensive glower.

And yet, as they pulled up to the large estate, the entryway was empty.

"Where is she?"

Canady consulted the tracker, then gestured wordlessly beyond the gate.

Growing more infuriated by the moment, Snoke snapped at the suspicious glances turned his way. "Obviously she bypassed the security system!"

"Obviously." Director Sloane remarked in an arch tone. "If that's the case, then you won't mind allowing us onto your estate so we can find her."

Kylo felt Snoke tense with anger, then growl as he punched in his code and pressed his thumb to the scanner. Canady waved in the rest of the FBI sedans as they led the way down to Snoke's opulent mansion.

As the FBI teams got into position along the perimeter, Canady tried to open the front door, but only succeeded in jiggling the handle.

Sloane regarded Snoke thoughtfully as the CEO bared his teeth. "She clearly picked the lock!"

"And locked it behind her. How considerate. Your keys, if you will?"

After a moment, Snoke dug his keys out and handed them to Kylo with a snarl. Kylo opened the door and directed teams down the different hallways, stealing Canady's thunder.

"I want men searching from east to west in a grid pattern. You men, come with me upstairs. Check the bedrooms first. Under beds, behind curtains, there's no telling where she might be hiding." As he marched up the large staircase, he motioned to the left, waiting for the search teams to fill the east wing before he dashed towards the west.

Running to approximately where he saw the white curtains move as they pulled up, Kylo peered down the short corridor just in time to see a flash of brown hair.

"Rey!" He whispered, rounding the corner to a dead end, where the thief let out a muffled curse at the over the top marble bust near the wall.

"Kriffing wall! This should be a hallway! Where's the rest of the shabbing house?"

A weight lifting off his chest at the sight of her safe and sound, he stepped forward with reassurances on his lips until he saw her face.

Until this moment, she had always sent him impish grins or teasing smiles when she saw him, full of light and warmth at his presence as she dove out of windows or vanished into crowds.

But as he moved towards her, she jerked back, hurt and betrayal and something heart-breakingly close to hate filling her eyes.

"Rey, please, let me-"

"Stay the hell away from me, _Kylo_ ," she hissed, and the bitterness in her voice sharper than any of Unkar's blades.

His shoulders drooped as he swallowed his explanations. She'd never believe him. Not his words, anyway.

"If you tilt the statue back, it'll open a door in the wall," he told her, keeping his feet still with great effort. "Snoke enjoys his secrets."

Furrowing her brows, she kept one eye on him as she hesitantly pushed the bust backwards, blinking as a part of the wall swung open. She shot him a slightly surprised look, then started towards the door until he called out, "Wait!"

"This changes nothing," Rey bit out, her eyes as hard as jade.

Ignoring the ache in his chest, Kylo held out a small bundle of cloth. "I know," he answered softly.

As she snatched the fabric out of his hand, he attempted, "Rey, I'm sorr-"

The door slammed on his half-formed apology, leaving him with nothing but a hopeless feeling in the pit of his stomach.

...

Sabine Wren stared at the bank of screens in front of her, scrutinizing each small, pixelated face.

"That one! That's the guy who tried to access the evidence locker!" She pointed eagerly, and Agent Bascus spoke into his radio.

"He's by the south fire exit on the third floor! Move move move!"

A swarm of agents suddenly surrounded the suspect and tackled him to the ground. Within minutes, he was handcuffed and thrown into one of the FBI's best interrogation rooms.

"Who are you?" Bascus demanded.

"Thomas Thanisson!" The young man answered in a mix of fear and annoyance. "I've worked here for almost three years."

Sabine leaned in close. "And why exactly were you trying to get into the evidence locker?"

"I wasn't trying to get into the evidence locker!" Thanisson protested. "I was just trying to check the paperwork. That's all!"

"Sure it is." Bascus stuck a finger in his face. "Look here, the faster you come clean, the better for you."

"But I'm telling you the truth! I swear!"

"As if we'd believe-

Sabine tilted her head curiously as a thought occurred to her. "Why?"

Both men turned to stare. "Huh?"

"Why did you want to see the paperwork?"

Flushing slightly, Thanisson averted his gaze. "No reason. Just wanted to see if everything was in order."

Sensing more to the story, Sabine prodded, "Like what?"

Thanisson shifted a little, then turned his palms up on the table as words came pouring out of his mouth. "Okay, look, I just heard that they switched the forms required for submitting evidence from FD-587s to FD-1004s, but I wasn't sure which one I had used yesterday for Box K-46 and I already had one disciplinary mark against me and the agent told me that the guys upstairs were watching me and if I screwed up one more time, I'd be out on my-"

"Hold it, hold it." Sabine held up her hand. "What agent?"

"The senior agent sent straight from the Director. He said he was in charge of reviewing the evidence recovery paperwork."

Bascus frowned slowly. "There is no agent in charge of-"

Blinking, a hazy image floated to the front of Sabine's mind as she narrowed her focus on the younger agent. "Describe him. Now."

"Uh… grey-ish brown hair? Beard? Walked with a limp?"

Searching her memory for why that sounded familiar, her brain placed the uneven shuffling step with the pace of the senior agent who took over guarding the evidence-

"Maker _kriffing_ dammit!"

…

"Upstairs is clear, sir!" Kylo reported to Sloane as he and Snoke stood in the main entryway.

"East rooms are clear," Hux added.

"Sir!" Canady's voice echoed from their right. "I think we found something!"

With a panicked exchange of glances between Kylo, Hux, and Snoke, the three men quickly followed Sloane towards Canady's voice to find him and the gathered teams of agents in blue FBI windbreakers surrounding an elaborate set of engraved mahogany doors.

"Sir, the tracker's signal is coming from this sector. We've checked the rest of the house, and it seems to be clear. This is the only locked door we've found."

The Director of the FBI pointed to Snoke. "Open it."

Silence fell as the older men stared icily at each other, hostility mounting as contempt and suspicion flowed along each eyeline.

Hux coughed nervously, then attempted to intervene. "Sir, these trackers have been known to be inaccurate at close range, there's a possibility that the Scavenger isn't actually-"

Ignoring Hux completely, Sloane raised a taunting eyebrow. "Well, Snoke? Something to hide?"

The tension was nearly palpable as Snoke responded in a dangerously quiet voice. "I'd say that I have been more than generous in allowing your men free run of both my estate and my home. I do, however, draw the line at a federal invasion of my private life, so I am going to ask you - _once_ \- to vacate my property."

"Are you now?" Sloane hissed back. "Well, your private property is trumped by two words, granted to me by the tracker your employee planted on a known fugitive," Hux flinched at the mention as the Director held up two fingers. "Probable. Cause."

Snoke radiated fury as the other man reached out his hand.

"Keys. _Now."_

…

Bolting down the hallways, Sabine nearly avoided colliding with two water coolers and an unfortunate janitor who barely pulled his cleaning cart out of the way in time as she desperately ran toward the evidence locker.

Agent Bascus, who was hard put to keep up with her, gasped out, "Why are we running, exactly?"

"I just need to check if I'm being paranoid or if-" Rounding the corner, Sabine blinked at the occupant behind the desk. "Ketsu! What are you doing here?"

Agent Onyo rolled his eyes. "Covering for you! You know you're not supposed to leave the evidence locker unattended. What is this, your first day?"

"I didn't leave it un… Did you see an older man here? Brown beard, limp?"

Ketsu shook his head. "No. Just an empty desk."

"Who are you talking about?" Bascus asked once he regained his breath.

"The senior agent you sent to relieve me. He sounds exactly like the man Thanisson was talking about."

"What? We didn't send anyone to relieve you. You called us about a suspicious man trying to get into the evidence room."

"No, you called me and told me to…" Several pieces of information suddenly clicked together. "Oh no."

Rushing inside, Sabine searched through the shelves until she got to an empty spot just above a label reading 'K-46'.

"Oh no. Oh no no no. Ketsu! Did you see anyone here? Anyone carrying a box or a bag? Anything!"

"No! There was the just empty desk and the janitor grabbing trash-"

Before Agent Onyo could complete his sentence, Sabine was off and running back to where she had narrowly avoided crashing into the janitor's cleaning cart, near the southwest hallway. Right next to the service entrance.

"You!" She pointed authoritatively at the startled guard. "Did a janitor come this way?"

"Just left five minutes ago," the agent told her with a gesture to the door.

"Did you see what he was driving?"

"A… black van? He had a security badge and everything, so I didn't-"

Sabine slammed open the door to reveal an empty loading bay, a single empty cleaning cart perched on the edge of the walkway as if to mock her.

" _Shit."_

…

"If you want my keys, you will have to discuss that with my lawyer," Snoke growled.

"Or we can break the door down. Asking for keys is just a courtesy. Your choice," Director Sloane sneered back.

Kylo watched sharply as malice, enmity, and rage all flashed across Snoke's face at this unheard of challenge to his authority.

With a wordless promise of future vengeance, Snoke stalked to the door and unlocked the deadbolt, stepping defiantly through the entryway in front of Sloane before freezing in his tracks. The rest of the FBI teams pushed in after him before they also slowed and stared.

Stolen artwork was displayed prominently on every wall, with glittering jewels strewn on top of gold bars and bundles of cash. In a perfectly brazen touch, the Toussaint diamond necklace was laid out on the desk in the center of the room, with a small blinking tracker set directly in the center.

Every person in the room turned to gape at Snoke, who looked around furtively before pointing in panicked anger, "This is a set-up! Someone's trying to frame me!"

Sloane glanced at the abundance of illicit wealth surrounding him. "I'd say they succeeded. Put your hands behind your back."

Backing away, Snoke shook his head, eyes wide with rage. "None of this is mine! You have no proof!"

"Sir!" Canady interrupted, drawing their attention as he lifted a slightly crooked Gustav Klimt painting off its hook to reveal a large steel safe set into the wall.

"I suppose that's not yours either?" Sloane inquired archly.

"You need a warrant for that," the CEO growled.

"Not if it's open." Canady smirked from across the room, as he used a single gloved finger to swing the safe door to the other side.

As the collective FBI took in the file folders sitting beneath bars of gold, Sloane gave a dark chuckle. "Cuff him," he told Canady, who moved toward Snoke with inordinate glee.

"This is all circumstantial!" Snoke bellowed as Canady wrenched his arms around his back. "I haven't touched any of-"

"Director," one of the agents gestured to her handheld electronic device. "The mobile scanner has not picked up any of Mr. Snoke's fingerprints on any item."

Sneering, Snoke bared his teeth. "You complete and utter incompetent. I will bring the full force of IYS' army of lawyers-"

"But we did, however, find someone else's prints on multiple pieces of evidence, who we do happen to have in our database," the agent continued, ignoring Snoke's outburst.

Sloane frowned. "Oh? Who?"

"Mr. Hux, sir."

His face paling, Hux immediately held up his hands and protested weakly, "What? No. I didn't! I wouldn't-"

Snoke lunged at Hux, restrained only by Canady's hold on his handcuffs, "Rabid cur! You backbiting, insolent wretch! You _dare-_ "

"Sir, please, I would never-"

"Hands behind your back!" Canady snapped with a wide grin, motioning to another agent.

"Director Sloane, we'd need some of our analysts down here to be sure, but according to the files in the safe, there have been multiple large payments made to a Cayman Islands bank account in Mr. Snoke's name. The deposits are from a variety of suspected criminals, ranging from the Ameddas cartel to Unkar Plutt."

As the director walked over, Snoke hissed through his teeth, "You can't pin any of this on me."

Sloane tilted his head in thought, then shrugged with a slow, malicious smile. "We can sure as hell try."

Turning to Kylo, who was observing the entire scene from the corner with crossed arms and a small, satisfied quirk to his mouth, Sloane narrowed his eyes. "Did you know about any of this?"

"No sir," Kylo answered, straightening. "They had been keeping me more and more out of the loop, but I wasn't sure why. Until now."

"Hm." The FBI director studied Kylo for a long moment. "No sign of the Scavenger herself?"

"None. At least, not in the area I covered. Although, we might want to recheck the east wing where Hux said he searched."

After weighing his words, Sloane snapped out, "Canady! Search the east wing again. Thoroughly."

"Of course, sir."

As Canady marched off towards the other end of the house, Kylo inclined his head. "With your permission, sir, I'll return to IYS and review our files. Perhaps there's another hiding spot we missed."

Sloane waved his hand in allowance as his phone rang, and Kylo pointed to a young woman in one of the ubiquitous blue FBI windbreakers.

"You! Bring around a car. Let's see if we can track her down before she gets too far."

The brunette agent ducked her head and disappeared outside as Snoke and Hux were dragged into one of the black SUVs, Snoke screaming as Hux cowered and pleaded.

An identical black car pulled up, and as Kylo stepped into the driver's side, he noticed that the SUV holding Snoke and Hux was momentarily silent, then burst into muffled shouts as the agent climbed into the passenger seat.

Rolling his eyes, Sloane cracked the door open for one last jibe. "Please, Snoke. Try to maintain some composure."

"That was her! That was the Scavenger!" Hux yelled from the far side. "There! In the FBI jacket!"

"Of course it was. Just like those aren't your jewels," he told Snoke in a condescending tone.

"They aren't! And she was right under your nose the whole time! You couldn't even see that she was one of your own-"

Slamming the door shut, Sloane motioned the driver to put the car in gear and sighed to himself.

"The things people will do to get themselves out of trouble."


	17. Maneuvers

"We don't have a lot of time," Kylo muttered as Luke picked through the blueprints next to Rose's computer. "Unless you're already sliding into dementia, can we pick this up?"

The older man gave his nephew a quelling look, but straightened nonetheless.

"Let's begin. What do we have so far?"

Rose gestured to the map on the table. "We've already got a Blind Man's Bluff and Radio Play set up to help Poe play sheepdog. Finn and I are working on the Houdini, but honestly, there's no way to get a box of evidence out of the kriffing FBI without them noticing." Shaking her head with an edge of frustration, she added, "And if we don't get that box out, all of this is for nothing."

With an intense gaze that spoke volumes about his ability, Luke shifted through the scattered papers, rereading the list of damning evidence against Rey, the layout of the evidence locker, the background on Canady and Sloane. As he fanned the pages out, the older man looked up with a sharp grin.

"I need a list of everyone who's touched Box K-46. Anyone who's moved it, catalogued it, sneezed on it, everyone."

Rose flittered her fingers over the keyboard, then gestured to the large screens above her. "These are all the people who had anything to do with it. Names from the chain of evidence all the way down to the guy who shreds the paper."

As she and Finn watched, Luke stepped forward, his eyes taking in the two dozen names, photos, and profiles before he tapped the middle of the lower monitor.

"Him. I want him."

Frowning, Rose minimized the other windows and enlarged the photo of a young man with ash blond hair. "Thomas Thanisson? He's nobody. He literally just files the paperwork. The janitor has more clearance than he does."

"He's perfect."

"Why?"

Nodding slightly to himself, Luke responded, "Because insecurity is a thief's greatest tool."

Finn blinked. "What? That doesn't even make sense!"

With an infuriatingly smug smile, Luke tilted his head at Finn. "You wouldn't understand."

"What? What does _that_ mean? _What are you saying?"_

Kylo, who had been mostly ignoring the exchange, finally growled, "Enough mind games. It's not a challenge and Rey's freedom hangs in the balance while you amuse yourself."

"What's not a challenge? _I'm_ not a challenge?! Oh hell nah-"

"Calm yourself, nephew." Luke responded calmly over Finn's outbursts. "I have a plan."

…

The first thing to break through Rey's overwhelming sense of despair was an oddly familiar _tap tap tap_ echoing across the First Order's polished marble floor.

She glanced up out of the corner of her eye and bit back a sigh of relief as she saw Baze and Chirrut walking her way. Baze was so focused on helping his friend navigate the lobby that he was seemingly unaware that their current trajectory would land them smack in the middle of her escort.

Well, almost.

Rey slowed her pace half a step, forcing Canady and the pair of FBI agents guarding her to lag behind as well. Phasma was about to sneer something uncomplimentary when Baze almost accidentally shoved his shoulder into Canady and Chirrut's cane somehow ended up between both agents' legs, sending them and Rey all tumbling to the ground.

As Chirrut bent down, reaching around for his cane, his hand found Rey's.

"Hope, _mei-mei,"_ he whispered, pressing a lockpick into her palm. The cool bit of metal went a long way in loosening the tightness in her chest. She gripped his arm in thanks for as long as she dared until Phasma yanked her up off of the floor.

"On your feet," IYS' head of security snapped as Canady scrambled to stand.

"Look where you're going, you idiots! You're impeding an FBI matter!"

Chirrut, now in possession of his cane, turned at Canady's tone with a bright smile and a firm strike at the redhead's ankle. "I am so sorry, sir. I am blind, so unfortunately, I cannot take your excellent advice."

As Canady shifted from incensed to uncomfortable, Rey surreptitiously tucked the slim lockpick up her sleeve, trying to hide her grin at Baze's loud accusations on behalf of his friend.

"You and your ableist discrimination can see us in court!" Baze announced, grabbing Chirrut's arm in a self-righteous tone. "I want your name and badge number this instant! We are going to sue you, and the FBI for your insensitive, intolerant-"

Stepping forward, hands held out placatingly, Canady tried to diffuse the situation. "Please, sir, let's just… let's talk over here."

Baze and Chirrut allowed themselves to be drawn to the side, Canady waving at his men to go on without him. Glowering magnificently, Baze kept Canady's focus as Chirrut winked at Rey, who felt a little bit more weight come off her shoulders.

The agents shoved her roughly into the black sedan and slammed the door, ignoring Rey's dark look and not noticing how her eyes flicked up to where Kylo was standing off to the side, watching the car with an inscrutable stare.

From behind the tinted window, Rey shot him a defiant glare. She didn't need his help. She'd escape the help of her real friends. The ones she could count on, no matter what.

The ones who _actually_ cared.

…

As the black sedan drove away, Kylo waited until they reached the street, then murmured into his earpiece.

"Showtime."

"On it," Poe responded, a slight rev audible in the background of his comm.

Stepping forward, Kylo interrupted Canady's irritated grovelling. "Gentleman, I assure you that Agent Canady meant no offense. Please, allow me to apologize on IYS' behalf. Perhaps we can discuss accommodations we could add to increase accessibility?"

Baze grunted, then reluctantly muttered his assent as Canady nodded, smiled tightly, and made a swift exit.

Turning his back, Kylo carefully peeled off the latex glove on his right hand and dropped it into the open bag Baze held out.

"You sure this will work?" Baze asked, his eyes still holding an edge of mistrust at Kylo.

Shrugging, Kylo kept his gaze downward. "One can only hope."

Rose snorted defensively into their comms, "Look, we only need two clear fingerprints for the set-up. Worst case scenario, I can work with just one, but the more the merrier. All five would be terrific."

"All that from a handshake," Chirruit remarked, shaking his head with a bemused grin.

"I mean, all that from a nonporous plastic surface that, combined with my awesome skills and hard work, can be turned into a perfect set of latex fingerprints, but yeah, sure, from a handshake."

Chuckling, Chirrut amended, "We are admiring, not doubting, little sister."

Baze jerked his chin at Canady, who was moving away from directing his own men to go gloat at Hux. "I think that's your cue."

Tilting his head impishly, Chirrut asked, "Should we wish you luck?"

"I don't need luck," Kyo scowled, which only seemed to amuse the pair.

"Of course not," Baze muttered.

Chirrut grinned and finished, "You have us!"

…

Rey knew her initial fear that Poe had been following the FBI car too closely would mightily offend her friend. She could picture him now, placing a melodramatic hand over his wounded heart and proclaiming how hurt he was at her disbelief in his talent.

When Rose's voice responded to the worried agents on their radio, her fear instantly began to ease.

"Vehicle 1138, we have a visual of the pursuing car. Plates are reported as stolen. Sending you an alternate route to the FBI field office. Continue evasive maneuvers until you've lost the suspect, then use the more secure route."

"Copy that."

As the car wended its way along the route Rose had given them, Rey slowly slipped out the lockpick Chirrut had gifted her with and began tweaking the mechanism that kept her restrained. A small nasty voice reminded her that even if she did get free, only the agents in front could unlock her door, and would certainly catch her in minutes on foot. Firmly blocking out any other distracting fears, Rey narrowed her focus only to rotating the slim bit of metal within the handcuff's slot.

She was so focused on the cuffs that the SUV's sudden stop jolted her out of her own thoughts. Looking up, she realized they were in a construction zone, halted by a worker directing opposite traffic through the single lane of cones. The agent up front groaned and rolled down his window, letting in the loud ambiance of machinery and cars as Rey started to gradually slide down in her seat.

"Hey! You!" He called to the construction worker, motioning him closer.

When Finn, complete with a yellow hard hat, neon vest, and red stop sign, turned to frown at the agent, the rest of Rey's anxiety dissipated entirely.

"Excuse you sir, but I am in the middle of-"

"This is a federal vehicle that belongs to the FBI, transporting a highly dangerous prisoner, and we need you to let us through _now."_

Finn held up an offronted hand. "Whoa, there is no need for that tone sir. Do you know what my job is?"

"Right now, it's letting us-."

"Wrong. My job is to keep people safe. Just like you, really. You keep us safe by violating our civil liberties, and I keep people from crashing into each other, although I feel like one of us is doing more good than the other," Finn snarked, and the agent in the passenger side who had been staring at Rey at the mention of 'dangerous prisoner', swivelled his whole attention to the window.

"Now you listen here, moron-"

" _Moron?_ You're saying _I'm_ the moron? Who's the one who can't read my sign? You see this? You see this right here?" Finn tapped the white letters reading 'STOP', and Rey quickly noticed that the sign had been vandalized with a Mr. Peanut sticker in the corner.

As she tilted her head at the logo, the screen on the front of the car fizzled a little, and there was the unmistakably soft sound of the car door to her right unlocking.

Both agents started to turn at the sound, but Finn slammed his hand on the open window. "They teach you how to read at the FBI? Hmm? This says 'STOP', which means the opposite of 'GO'."

At the word 'go', Finn seemed to miss the lettering altogether and just pointed to the peanut instead.

"Get it? 'Stop' means 'don't _go',"_ he tapped the logo again with a loud emphasis on his last word, and Rey bit back a smile as she carefully popped open the door.

 _Go, peanut, go. I gotcha, Finn._

The agent up front yanked out his badge. "If you don't let us through now, we will haul you in for obstruction of justice," he growled.

"Well, that threat of miscarriage of justice aside, you can't go anywhere until I say-"

Rose's voice crackled with static from the walkie-talkie on Finn's shoulder. "All clear. North side can go."

A bit of his steam deflated, Finn nodded regally and stood back from the car, flipping his sign around to read 'SLOW' and waving them through.

"Alright, you can go."

The sedan zoomed past him, and the second it was around the bend, Finn handed the sign to another construction worker and looked around the concrete barrier with a wide grin. "Hello, peanut."

Rey collapsed into his hug. "Finn, I have never been so glad to see you before in my entire life."

He laughed as he tugged her deeper into the construction site. "Girl, you should say that every time you see me. Oh, by the way, I got you a present," he added, gently placing a comm in her ear.

"Rey?"

"Rose! Oh thank God."

"C'mon, you knew we were coming to get you," the other girl snarked.

"Never had a doubt."

Finn gestured to his left. "And we've got you a ride."

Canting her head, Rey stares at the black car before her, a twin to the one she just escaped from. "Well, this looks… familiar."

"Standard FBI issue," Rose announced proudly.

Finn addressed the anxiety in her voice. "Don't worry, it's all part of the plan."

"Oh, so there is one? I just figured you were flying by the seat of your pants," Rey teased, the spark of humor returning at her freedom.

Scoffing, Rose explained, "Of course! Inside you'll find directions and a perfect package for the set-up." Her voice grew distant and distracted as she murmured, "Hang on, something's happening."

"So," Rey glanced at her friend. "Who are we framing?"

Finn's smile turned vicious. "Snoke."

Her eyes widening, Rey whispered, "You're framing Snoke? With what?"

"With everything we've got. Or, more accurately, everything you've got. Inside you'll find all your loot I couldn't sell yet, plus a few contributions from others, both willing and not-so-much."

She stepped forward with a concerned hand on his shoulder. "But Finn, that'll clean you out."

Finn gave her a warm expression. "That's what rainy day funds are for, peanut. Besides, if it keeps you out of prison, it's worth it."

Pulling him into another hug, Rey basked in the comfort of having a family who cared about her.

"How did you even get all of-" she started, then was interrupted by an only slightly panicky Rose.

"Hey guys, not to rush you at all, but it turns out that Hux planted a tracker on Rey and if you don't want the full force of the FBI converging on your location, you need to get going like, _now."_

"Dammit!" Rey growled, patting her pockets. "When did he even have time-"

"Drive now, curse later, find the tracker on the way," Finn instructed, opening the driver's side door for her. As she climbed in, Rey paused, then turned.

"Finn," She said finally, emotions roughening her voice. "Thank you."

Her friend bumped her shoulder with an affectionate tap. "Any time."

...

With a cough and a duck of his head, Luke stepped through the metal detector and made his way to the FBI's reception area, smoothing out his dark grey three-piece suit.

"Okay, I've got you in the system as a visiting consultant, but that doesn't give you enough clearance to get to the evidence locker down in Basement Level One. That requires a level three access badge." Rose warned him. "You can literally go up to the first floor, but that is it. I can try to add more permissions within the system, but I'm also managing everyone else's comms and-"

"You've done more than enough, Ms. Tico," Luke murmured, picking up his visitor's badge with a smile. "Trust me, I can handle the rest."

"I hope you're as good as Kylo says, Mr. Skywalker." Rose told him in a somber tone. "Rey's my best friend and all of this won't mean anything if we don't get that box."

Kylo's voice echoed distantly over the earpiece. "He's an ass. But he's good at what he does."

A sudden warmth filled Luke's heart, which he set aside to mentally mark out his targets as he made himself four cups of coffee. Plan in place, he suddenly marched toward the closing elevators with sudden intent.

"Hold the door!"

One look at his full hands and the attractive older woman inside held out her arm until he stepped in.

"Level Five, please," he requested, then winced. "Ah, I need my access badge for that. It's just in my right back pocket, if you can get it for me."

The purple-haired woman glanced at his back pocket, then up at his charming smile as Rose yelled in his ear.

"No! Your badge limits you to the first floor! And the evidence locker is in the basement! Not up!"

To Rose's surprise, the agent shook her head with a sly grin and swiped her card in front of the scanner.

"No worries. I'll get it."

"Why thank you. You are just too kind," Luke told her, a sparkle in his blue eyes.

"...Oh. Or you could do that."

As he walked onto the fifth floor, he quickly scanned the whiteboards of information, listened intently to the snatches of gossip around him, and identified two agents with level three clearance.

"...the things Rogers gets away with. I swear, if I tried half the shit he does…"

"...and of course the analyst meeting got moved up half an hour. Not like I have enough to do…"

"...Sloane's trying to crack down on that though. Wouldn't be surprised if he brought in a…"

"...if Canady actually did bring in the Scavenger, you know he's going to brag about it forever. What an absolute jack-"

"Excuse me," Luke interrupted the speaker closest to him, quickly reading his name. "Your coffee, Agent Raddus."

"Oh. Thanks. You new here?"

Luke shrugged as he handed Raddus a cup of coffee and snagged his badge at the same time. "Just transferred from New York. White Collar division."

Judging him irrelevant, the agent next to Raddus, whose badge named him as Agent Jul, continued the conversation. "I hope he did catch her though. Word is that the Scavenger is a real bit-"

Scalding hot coffee suddenly flew across the man's shirt. "Son of a-"

"Oh, no, I am so sorry about that, sir," Luke pressed forward, patting Jul's shoulder as he lifted his badge as well. "Let me go get you some towels to clean that mess up."

After making his way calmly to the elevator, Luke nodded at the other occupants and scanned Raddus' card as he pressed the button for the basement. Sensing the curious stare of the senior agent to his left, Luke met her eyes and sighed.

"You heard about the analyst meeting that changed to half an hour earlier? As if we're all sitting around, waiting for things to do."

Somewhat reassured, the agent rolled her eyes as the others nodded in agreement. "Don't think of anyone but themselves."

"Exactly." The door dinged for the second floor, and as everyone else got off, Luke called out, "And if you see Rogers, tell him he's pushing his luck."

The woman waved behind her without a second glance, leaving Luke alone to murmur into his earpiece, "Where is Thanisson now?"

A soft pattern of keystrokes preceded Rose's response. "Just coming out of the southwest bathroom in the basement. Take a left, then two rights when you step out of the elevator."

A few seconds later and he was rounding the corner, taking care to stomp loudly down the hallway. "You!" He shouted as Thanisson's somewhat worried face morphed into full on panic.

"Who? Me?"

"No, the other idiot I was talking to. Yes you! Did you add the paperwork to the Scavenger case? You used the correct forms this time, right?"

"What new-"

"The new evidence recovery forms! The FB-1004s! That's the one you used, right?"

The young agent paled. "I…"

"Director Sloane has had about enough of all this shoddy work. He sent me personally to review all of the recovery paperwork, and I better find the correct form in every box, or there will be hell to pay."

"Well, what if-"

Luke glowered and pointed an accusing finger. "We've been watching you upstairs. One more slip-up and you are out of a job, you hear me?"

"Yes sir! O-of course I added it! Sir!"

"Good. We're going over everything tonight. If it's not in there…"

"It is! I swear!"

With an angry harrumph, Luke turned back the way he came, then looped around to the evidence locker, crossed his arms, leaned against the wall, and waited.

"You!" Thanisson barked, peeking nervously over his shoulder as the agent at the desk frowned. "I need to review all paperwork associated with Case Number 1435."

"There you are," Luke murmured in satisfaction as Agent Wren grew more and more suspicious with each anxiety-filled demand. Once Thanisson stormed away with Agent Wren's narrowed eyes on him, Luke spoke softly into his earpiece.

"Mr. Dameron, I believe that's your cue."

The front desk phone rang, and Poe did an admirable job playing the furious boss as Rose called up the security in a panicked tone to report an attempt to access the evidence locker by an unauthorized person.

As Agent Wren protested that she couldn't leave the evidence locker unattended, Luke began a measured authoritative walk around the corner and nodded calmly at her as he came up to the desk.

"Okay, I have to go ID this guy, but you know the procedure, right? No one in or out without the approval-"

"Young lady, I have been doing this longer than you've been alive," he told her with just a touch of condescension. "I think I can manage."

With a small glare at the misogyny, Wren hurried off to the elevator with an eagerness in her step. Once the doors closed, Luke quickly plugged in a flash drive into the computer.

"All yours, Ms. Tico."

"Erasing the files now. How are you planning on getting everything out?"

"I thought I'd just carry it out with me," he deadpanned, walking down to the storage closet next to the bathrooms. After picking the pathetically easy lock, Luke snagged a cleaning cart and rolled it into the evidence locker, using Agent Jul's card to open the door and grab Box K-46.

Opening his briefcase for the first time, Luke pulled on blue janitor coveralls and attached a different security badge that labeled him as 'Mark' from the Crait Cleaning Co., put on some glasses, and adjusted his stance until he looked like a completely different person. He stashed the box underneath the cart, behind bottles of cleaners, and whistled merrily as he emptied out the trash bin next to Agent Wren's computer, plucking the drive out of the USB slot and tucking it into his pocket.

He wandered down the hall, nodding to the confused Asian man who spotted the empty desk, and nimbly dodging Agent Wren's hurried flight a few minutes later, casually making his way to the garage. The guard barely noticed him past his badge, and Luke was soon pulling out of the FBI's loading bay, with a box of federal evidence, with no one the wiser.

"Ms. Tico," Luke announced as he drove away, "the Clean-Up is complete."

He could almost hear Rose's victorious grin. "Let's bring her home."


	18. Home

"I mean, we were always going to lead the chase to Snoke's, but this just amps up our timeline. By a lot." Rose muttered hurriedly, more to herself than to Rey as they navigated the city streets.

"Okay, highlights. There's a bag in the passenger seat that has a glove with Hux's fingerprints and palm print on the outside - which I have to say is rendered nearly flawlessly in latex, my own special project that I have spent a lot of personal time and hard work, but does anyone-"

"Rose," Rey reminded her as she sped into a right turn.

"Right, sorry. The glove plus the code up in the left hand corner of the map should also get you past Snoke's security system. Park the car around the back and use the rear entrance - it's the quickest way to Snoke's study. He's got a Glenn Rieder 5240, and that's where he stashes all of the paperwork for his dirty deals and his really valuable stuff. Problem is, I don't know where it's located exactly."

"Trust me, I can find one hidden safe in a single room. You really think that'll be enough to get him arrested?"

"His actual evil, plus the fun little connections in the goody basket you have, will guarantee he goes to prison for a long time. Take a left up here."

"Connections?"

"Money laundering for the cartels, black market deals for some of his insurance stuff, plus accounts in the Cayman Islands tied to our good friend Unkar Plutt."

Rey jerked the wheel in surprise, narrowly missing a red sports car who honked at her in anger.

"Unkar? You… you connected him to Snoke? For me?"

"Of course! I mean, Poe and Finn just wanted to kill him, but I figure this is a bit easier and less likely to get us in jail."

"Rose," Rey swallowed thickly, then settled with, "You're the best."

"Girl, I know it!" Her friend laughed, then let out a sigh. "Hey, I'm actually trying to run another thing, or more like eight other things at the same time-"

"Go. Be your genius self. I'll ping you if I need you."

Rey pressed Hux's handprint to the gate entry and punched in the code, speeding towards Snoke's truly ostentatious mansion and swinging around to the back door in a powerslide that would have made Poe proud. A few quick trips between the car and the now unlocked study deposited a wealth of stolen goods all around Snoke's already illicit collections, handled delicately by Hux's fingerprints and Rey's own clean glove.

She heard the sirens preceding the horde of FBI agents screeching down the drive just as she finished draping the Toussaint across Snoke's desk. Fishing the tracker out from the cuff of her sleeve, she set the small device in the center of the diamond necklace with a vengeful smile.

Her grin faded when she realized that the study offered her no place to hide from a swarm of highly motivated federal agents. Locking the door behind her, Rey fled up the stairs, searching for a supply closet or utilities room that offered a decent amount of cover. She peeked out the window just in time to see at least a dozen black vehicles pull up outside, multiple teams spilling forth to swarm the front entrance.

The door burst open downstairs, and heavy footfalls echoed across Snoke's foyer as Rey's search grew increasingly frantic. Trusting her instincts, she darted along a hallway at the far end of the wing, then bit out a curse as the passage came to a sudden end midway down.

"Kriffing wall!" She growled at the stupid marble bust. "This should be a hallway! Where's the rest of the shabbing house?"

A soft voice stage-whispered from behind her. "Rey!"

Whirling around, she saw Kylo stepping towards her, his face lighting up with relieved hope. As if this whole thing wasn't his fault. As if he hadn't turned her in.

As if he _cared_.

She hated the way her body reacted to him, the way her heart lifted, her shoulders turned, and her hands started to reach for his own.

Clenching her hands into fists instead, she jerked back, the memory of his grip shifting from caring to captor bringing a wave of fresh pain and hardened resolve.

He must have seen something in her eyes because his steps slowed. "Rey, please," he started, "let me-"

"Stay the hell away from me, _Kylo,"_ she hissed, knowing the name would sting.

She revelled slightly as he flinched, then took a breath. "If you tilt the statue back, it'll open a door in the wall."

Partly wondering if this was some sort of elaborate trap, Rey still pushed the ornate statue backwards, blinking in surprise when part of the wall swung open. She was about to make good her escape when Kylo called out, "Wait!"

Her feet paused without any input from her brain, so she redirected her irritation at her own traitorous heart and snapped at him instead, "This changes nothing."

Dark, amber eyes stared at her beseechingly, but as he held out a small bundle of cloth, he only said two words in a soft, broken tone.

"I know."

Angry with him, with herself, with how close she was to flinging herself into his embrace, Rey snatched the fabric, marched inside, and slammed the hidden door on his half-formed apology. Walking into the dark passage as fast as she could, Rey tried to leave Kylo, her tangled emotions, and her quickly crumbling defenses behind.

…

There was nothing quite like witnessing arrogant bastards being brought down low.

As Rey shrugged on the blue FBI windbreaker and slipped out of the hidden door into the foyer, she had to fight a victorious grin from blossoming onto her face as Snoke and Hux were dragged away.

"Rabid cur! You backbiting, insolent wretch! You _dare- "_

"Sir, please, I would never-"

The pleas and insults lasted all the way out to the black FBI vehicle, where Rey let out a smug chuckle as Snoke refused to get into the car and the agents were gleefully forced to shove the both of them inside.

Her head turned instinctively as she heard a familiar baritone to her right.

"With your permission, sir, I'll return to IYS and review our files." Kylo told the FBI Director, voice solemn, playing the part of the troubled employee well. "Perhaps there's another hiding spot we missed."

Sloane waved his hand dismissively and turned to attend to other, more important matters.

"You!" Rey's head snapped up with a glare at Kylo's commanding tone. "Bring around a car. Let's see if we can track her down before she gets too far."

She shot him a dark look and considered refusing, but the practical side of her knew she wouldn't get a cleaner exit. So with one last wistful sigh at the shiny baubles that now officially belonged to Snoke, Rey ducked her cap down in a dutiful nod and went through the back door to grab her SUV.

Pulling up to the front, resisting the temptation to run Kylo (or maybe just his foot) over, Rey hopped out of the driver's seat and walked around to the other side, then paused. She could just make out Snoke and Hux's profiles as they squabbled through the tinted glass. Struck by inspiration, Rey knocked on the window, tilted her head as the car went silent, then blew them both a kiss.

The silence was suddenly broken by frenzied shouting, and Rey beamed as she stepped into the black sedan, sending the other car a parting wave.

"Rot in hell, you bastards," she smiled as they drove away.

…

Kylo let Rey gloat for a while before he ventured, "You seem happy."

This of course immediately resulted in her scowling in his direction as he mentally kicked himself.

"So." She stated in a sullen tone. "Where are you taking me?"

"Back to your friends."

She narrowed her eyes. "Is that code for prison?"

Kylo bit back a sigh. "No."

"Jail?"

"No."

"Secret IYS detention center?"

Pursing his lips, he tried to keep his tone even. "No. Can we change the subject?"

"Isn't this your interrogation?" Rey blinked in faux innocence.

"Alright," Kylo took the bait with a bit more force than she was expecting. "Here's a question for you."

She crossed her arms with a sarcastic sneer. "Here it comes."

His voice was deceptively gentle. "How long were we neighbors?"

That startled Rey into meeting his gaze, where he could feel the storm of heat and hesitation behind her eyes before she dropped them.

"Figured that out, did you?" She murmured to the floor.

"Not as soon as I should have," he admitted, watching her hands clasp and unclasp in her lap. "You rappelling outside the building across the street was a pretty convincing confirmation, though."

When she only fidgeted with the seatbelt, he added softly, "You said I looked nice. When I laughed."

There was a long pause, and so quietly Kylo barely heard it, Rey whispered, "You do," before staring out the window.

They spent the rest of the ride in silence, and when he pulled up to Finn's safehouse, Kylo sighed, "Rey, I-"

She slammed the car door on him before he could finish.

…

"The prodigal thief returns!"

"Poe!" She returned her friend's warm embrace. "That was some slick driving you did!"

"Not as slick as you were!" He told her with a wide grin. "Glad to have you back on the outside."

"Me too," Rey smiled back, then went to clap Baze and Chirrut on their shoulders and thank them for their help when she was attacked from behind.

"Rey!" Rose shouted as she trapped her in an enthusiastic hug. "I'm so happy you made it!"

"Only thanks to you! You're a serious genius, Rose."

Flipping her hair, Rose laughed. "I'm glad you appreciate me."

"Hey," Rey whispered quietly, motioning her head toward the door as Kylo slowly stepped inside, "how'd you get him to help?"

Rose frowned in confusion. "We didn't."

When Rey simply blinked at her, Rose gave her a knowing smile and explained, "He found us."

Turning her head to stare at Kylo, Rey could only manage a stunned, "What?"

"We were trying to get you out, we really were, but we had nothing. He showed up with blueprints, guard rotations, security codes, everything. We couldn't have done it without him. He even found us an expert," Rose added with a twinkle in her eye as she pointed across the room to-

"Luke!" Rey cried, then rushed to her mentor. "What on earth are you doing here?"

He raised one shoulder with an amused grin. "Ben called me."

Certain she hadn't heard right, Rey gaped at him. "But… but he _hates_ you."

Letting out a rueful chuckle, Luke canted his head and agreed. "Yes. He does. One can hope that will change, but in the meantime…"

The older man watched her with an odd sort of satisfaction as he added, "It does make one wonder what he _loves_ even more."

As her world tilted on its axis, Rey found herself searching the group of gathered friends for a tall, gloomy figure who had just slipped out the door.

…

"Going somewhere?" A loft voice asked as he was almost to the edge of the balcony. Kylo turned to see Rey leaning against the doorframe, silhouetted by the warm light from inside.

"Easy to leave when no one wants you there," he responded, with only a little bitterness.

Rey shrugged and pushed herself to standing. "I wouldn't say that."

Stopping suddenly, Kylo tried to suss out what exactly she was saying to him.

"Finn's place has cameras everywhere. Trust me, he already knows you've left."

Oh. That's what she meant.

And yet… Rey moved a few steps towards him and asked, "Where will you go?"

He sat back against the stone railing and scratched his neck. "I'm not sure, exactly. Can't quite go back to insurance investigating, can I?"

Pretending a gasp, Rey held her hand to her chest. " _The_ Kylo Ren, not 100% certain of his next move? What happened to all of your best laid plans?"

"They gang aft a-gley," he quoted Burns with a hint of humor. "Thanks mostly to you."

Her smirk flickered, and Kylo was struck with the sudden thought that she might genuinely be worried about him.

"But even my Plan M couldn't account for IYS collapsing under the weight of its evil CEO and his number two," he joked carefully, trying to preserve… whatever was happening here.

Shifting, Rey walked past him and propped her elbows up on the stone ledge. "Well, if you want to switch sides," she started slowly, and Kylo whipped his head around to stare at her, "I could keep my ears open."

"You could?"

"Well, I'm not sure who's hiring, but Rose likes you, and that carries a lot of weight in our circle."

Kylo scoffed good-naturedly as he mimicked her posture. "Likes me? She punched me in the gut and threatened to stab me."

"Wow. She must _really_ like you."

He let out a ghost of a chuckle, then watched her bite her lip.

"Rose told me what you did," she commented quietly, almost a question.

"I… I didn't do much."

"You brought them security codes. And blueprints."

"Well, I…"

"You called Luke."

"Only because-"

"You _hate_ Luke."

"And now I remember why! He's smug and manipulative and arrogant and a complete bastard and-"

"Why?" Her vulnerable whisper pulled his angry rant up short. "Why did you help?"

Sensing the weight of the question, Kylo swallowed. "Because it was the right thing to do."

Rey snorted. "Since when do you care about that?"

"Since I met you."

She met his gaze purely out of surprise, and words suddenly poured out of him in utter sincerity.

"I thought I had figured the whole world out, how everyone cheats and steals and looks out for themselves, how anything else was weakness in a world that only values strength… but then, I saw you."

He let out a reverent breath at the memory. "Floating in midair, as if by magic. God, you were the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen."

Before she could respond, he pressed on. "Then you kept flying out of windows, giving me that damn wink. Outsmarting me. And then…" he ran his hands through his hair.

"Then we talked. You talked to me as if… as if I was a real person. You saved me, even though it'd be better for you if you left me for dead. Everyone in my life, my parents, Luke, Snoke, they only expected me to follow their orders, to uphold their reputations. But you…"

Rubbing his face, Kylo continued in a wavering voice, "You're the first person who's ever trusted me. I didn't realize how valuable that was. Or how fragile. Until…"

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye to see Rey hugging her arms to herself, a protection against memories which drowned him in guilt all over again.

"Rey, I am so sorry," he choked out in a broken voice. "I never should have taken you to Snoke, and I can never forgive myself for everything I put you through and all the pain and fear you-"

The rest of his confession was cut off by her mouth claiming his, sweetened with the salt of her tears as she pulled him closer, arms encircling his neck as he caressed her cheek with adoring hands.

His movements were a plea, an apology, a desperate cry as she buried her hands through his hair, hitching one knee up to his hip, tugging his arm down to hold her tighter, her demanding hum the only sound in his ears as he spread his palm across her back and traced his fingertips along her shoulder blades, down her arm, and entangled his hand with her own.

As he slowly, cautiously, reluctantly pulled away, he rested his forehead against hers, listening to the sound of their rushed breaths, waiting for his mind to settle before he tried to find some sort of clarity of meaning in what had just happened.

Which is when she slapped him in the face.

"Ow!" He yelped, holding a hand to his cheek. "What the hell?!"

Sniffing, Rey tucked her hair behind her ear. "There's plenty more where that came from."

As she marched into the house, he shouted after her, " _Which one?!"_

He slowly returned to the house, feeling his jaw and wincing.

"That went well!" Chirrut chirped from the left of the entryway.

Kylo frowned at him as Baze replied from the other side, "What conversation were you listening to?"

"She kissed him!"

"Before she slapped him."

Chirrut gave a beatific smile as he rested his head against the wall. "Ah, young love."

Glowering, Kylo demanded, "The hell does that mean?"

The older man turned his milky blue eyes to Kylo with dancing eyebrows. "Now _that_ would be cheating, my friend."

Before he could figure out how to respond to that, Rose came up to him. "You like beer?"

"No."

"Too bad," she replied, handing him a cold bottle and clinking it with her own. "Crew tradition."

As she took a drink, Kylo reluctantly followed suit, making a face at the taste but taking another sip anyway, earning him a bright grin from Rose.

"C'mon," she jerked her head toward the table in the center where the rest of the group was gathering. "You can help us plan."

"You're stealing something else already?"

"Nah, we're planning an impossible heist. Just for fun."

He raised an eyebrow. "For fun?"

"We're boosting the David!" Rey called out from across the room.

Kylo shot her a look. "You can't steal the David."

"Excuse you, I can steal anything," Rey snarked back with a teasing lilt to her voice.

Sighing, he moved over to the table, unaware of Rose's smirk. "You can't fence the David."

Finn gave an offended look. "You give me two minutes and I will have a line around the block of dumb rich people tripping over themselves to buy that poor naked man."

"Fine, you can't move the David."

Waving his hand dismissively, Poe piped up, "Give me a chopper and a rig rated for six tons. Boom. Done."

"Like you could fly a helicopter."

With a smug grin, Poe tilted back in his seat. "I can fly anything."

"And do what? Zip around Florence with the world's most famous statue hanging beneath you?"

"You'd need a distraction," Baze murmured after taking a pull of his drink.

"Oo, yes!" Poe scanned the map, then pointed to a block by the river. "Here. I can figure out a remote detonator-"

"We are not blowing up part of Florence!" Rose protested.

Luke gestured broadly. "At least not there. My nicest summer home is near the Arno River."

Pointing firmly, Kylo told him, "You are not helping."

Quirking a puckish eyebrow, Luke responded, "Aren't I?" which caused Kylo to give him a suspicious sidelong glance.

Rey came around to Kylo's side of the table and tapped the security blueprint. "Look, they use a standard RBG keypad for the main door, and the David itself has a Mark 2 laser grid, which I use for my morning warm up. Easy peasy."

"How are you planning on getting it through the skylight?" Kylo argued, motioning to the top diagram.

"I'll climb it."

"You're going to climb _the David?"_

"Why not?"

"It's white marble! One smudge from your shoe and there goes your payday!"

As they bickered amiably back and forth, presenting challenges and solutions, if their hands kept accidentally brushing past each other until Rey's fingers finally curled around Kylo's palm (to the great amusement and some annoyance of the rest of the room), no one said anything.

After all, there is still honor among thieves.


End file.
